Fox in the Grass

Fox in the Grass

In Clear Creek it is quiet.
Each step along the path
scatters a dozen leaping grasshoppers
into the air.
I didn't know they came
in such a variety of colors either.

An osprey swooped over
the tall grasses
that cover our back field
the other day.
Usually they sail high up
and then dive into the reservoir
after fish.

Shortly after the grass came to rest,
a small fox walked up the stone pathway,
up from the water's edge.
She snapped at grasshoppers
as she strolled,
peered into the shade under some big rocks,
and then pee'd near our porch steps
by a tree.

David and I were reading
about fairy tales by the window
at the time.
I wondered if I should step outside
and shape-shift
and jump off the porch
to run down mouses with her.

A little later I saw her leaping
clear out of the tall grasses,
like a kind of grass dolphin,
chasing after some animal,
I suppose.
Ah, NATURE!

Susan Gilmour September 2008