2 of 30: Nowhere to Hide
"Poems don't normally have much to do with intention for me. They're more likely to come unexpectedly in a place like this." Susan Goldsmith Wooldridge, Poemcrazy This evening I took Wooldridge's advice and walked through our back field searching for poetry. I didn't find it where I expected, instead it found me.
Nowhere to Hide
A sound comes from the patch
Of wild black raspberry thistles
Which look menacing.
There are no leaves.
There isn't tall green grass
In which to hide.
I hear it scurry quickly.
Then silence.
I try not to move.
I am sure it knows
I am here.
Soon I see it,
A small rabbit just in front of me.
Both of us stand frozen.
Both of us thinking
We are hiding
From the other.
The rabbit turns slowly,
His white bushy tail,
A contrast to the muddy ground
Where he now stands,
Gives him away.
His dark eyes turn to me,
And he stares.
We are now certain of one another.
He pauses as if trying to decide
Whether to stay or run.
I stand still.
Waiting.
Finally he rushes away.
In a few weeks
I will not so easily spot him.
As the wild leaves return
The grass thickens near his home.
Mother nature helping to keep him
Safe from intruders.
© Cathy L. Mere, 2012
A sound comes from the patch
Of wild black raspberry thistles
Which look menacing.
There are no leaves.
There isn't tall green grass
In which to hide.
I hear it scurry quickly.
Then silence.
I try not to move.
I am sure it knows
I am here.
Soon I see it,
A small rabbit just in front of me.
Both of us stand frozen.
Both of us thinking
We are hiding
From the other.
The rabbit turns slowly,
His white bushy tail,
A contrast to the muddy ground
Where he now stands,
Gives him away.
His dark eyes turn to me,
And he stares.
We are now certain of one another.
He pauses as if trying to decide
Whether to stay or run.
I stand still.
Waiting.
Finally he rushes away.
In a few weeks
I will not so easily spot him.
As the wild leaves return
The grass thickens near his home.
Mother nature helping to keep him
Safe from intruders.
© Cathy L. Mere, 2012
I like the 'small' story that you told hear,with the theme of "meeting". Actually, it's nice & slow-going, just the way your want it when it decides to go. I love that thought "both of us thinking we are hiding from the other." Thanks Cathy!
ReplyDeleteHi again, Cathy. I just read your comment on my blog post, & want to tell you that I did the lesson today with a group of almost all 5th graders. They loved it, loved the examples & did really well. The finished poems are coming, but they are all based on content, what they know! There are other possibilities for sure, but their teacher really wanted to focus on non-fiction, so we did. I'll share what I did if you'd like sometime.
ReplyDeleteFrom your picture, I thought it was a skunk! I was glad when the story turned a bunny tail towards me!
ReplyDelete