We parked by the tracks and walked down to the tressel
Wild asparagus spears the rocks along the ties
We descend through thistle and nettles
Alerting the grasshoppers and dragonflies
Our setter takes off like a rusty jet
Chasing squirrels up trees as the birds take flight
The evening cools as the sun prepares to set
Walking with Dad always felt right
We hiked the trails along Swan Creek
I knew every trail and tree and bend in the flow
We enjoyed the peace with no reason to speak
The only sound the crunch of leaves (or snow)
Around the horseshoe trail past the pond and reeds
The ducks move along wary of our sight
The raspberry thicket still buzzing with bees
As locusts start to welcome the night
The evening sky reddens and shadows emerge
Dad plucks a rye grass to chew and chooses a walking stick
The dog shoots by us where the trails diverge
Startling a pheasant in a bush near the crick
We near the bridge as a train rumbles across
The engineer waves and blows the horn
We reach the car just as sunlight withdraws
I remember Dad and these days as I continue to mourn.
JArtB
SUNDAY, MARCH 24, 2019 12:13