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Open Poetry #37
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XOx Uriah xOX
Senior Member
since 2006-02-11
Posts 1403
Virginia

0 posted 2006-03-07 12:10 PM




Frost lay heavy upon the leaves
that Autumn had cast to the ground;
And out of the north, a cold wind did blow;
and with it came...the sounds...
The sound of voices...
Ancient cries...Spirit of the hunt...Call of the wild...
Familiar voices, that first cried out
when I was just a child.
Memories danced within my head...
Joy leaped within my heart !
I recalled my love for the forest...
How I'd sworn we'd never part.

So cozy here...
Within my den.
Place a log upon the fire...
To the woods I'll pledge my love again...
The voices all cried...  LIAR !
They called my name and said... COME FORTH !
Each year lately it had been the same.
But this year, there was panic in the cries...
Somehow I felt ashamed.
"If we crack and tremble", the voices said;
"Why should you find it strange ?"
"Have you not aged these many years ?"
"Do you think we do not change ?"
"Things are not the same, old friend...
Too long you've been away !"
And it was then that I declared
I would return... One day.
Outside...   It was bitter and nasty !
And I had grown long in the tooth.
But the wind cried words like...  JUDAS !
FREEDOM ....  ADVENTURE .....  and  YOUTH !

The frost crunched loudly beneath my boots
as I walked beyond my land...
The cold wind bit my nose and ears;
My rifle in my hand.
God, its good !   My heart beat strong !
What can compare to this ?
Years of grasping for the ring
cannot bring back what I've missed !
I walked to the woods...  And I walked...
And walked...
But the forest I could not find !
In place of the forests of my youth...
There were pines...and Pines...and PINES !
No hickory, maple, chestnut or oak !
No acorns...  Just pine cones and tags !
How did this happen ?   So much and so soon !
Where are the squirrels... gobblers and stags ?
Cling to the memories... The days of my youth...
'Neath the oaks on the hill, the buck lays...
Squirrels gather nuts...  Turkeys scratch in the leaves...
My God !   What became of those days ?
I know they must cut !    I know they must build !
Must they plant only pines in the ground ?
When the last oak is gone and the evergreen stands...
The earth shall be left... ever-brown !
My heart, it was heavy !   My mind was in shock !
I worked my way home, through the pines.
The hunt...   It was history !     The forest was gone !
They only exist in my mind...
Today...    They form a fence out of men...
Dogs chase the deer to the gun.
How can that be called...  Hunting ?
How can that be called...  Sport ?
How do I explain to my son ?

As I walked through the pines, a sound caught my ear...
High above...  Atop the Evergreens...
Squirrels !   Squirrels all a chatter !  Skitter...scatter !
In such a way I've never seen !
I cried out, "Ho, ol' Bushytails !
I never thought I'd find
Such hardwood creatures as yourselves
living among the pines !"
And one replied...
"Adaptation is the key, my friend,
for survival is a must !
And it isn't always a matter of choice...
You simply learn to adjust...

I listened to the furry philosopher
and it all became clear as day...
Perhaps the hunts were not extinct...
We just hunt a different way.
The damage is done.   The trees are gone.
It's too late now to fight.
But, if the squirrels can adjust to living in pines...
Thats where I'll adjust my sights !

My heart was lighter !    My mind at ease !
All of this would work out fine !
But, when I eat the woodland rodents...
They taste like TURPENTINE !

© Copyright 2006 Larry F. Leake - All Rights Reserved
iliana
Member Patricius
since 2003-12-05
Posts 13434
USA
1 posted 2006-03-07 01:25 AM


That ending....quite a surprise....at the conclusion of a very serious poem, well done!  I liked it very much.  Uriah, I have a bunch of catching up to do and the next fews days are going to be spent on other things, unfortunately.  Trust me that I will be back to read your poems which I haven't read yet.  You're a treasure!   ....jo
latearrival
Member Ascendant
since 2003-03-21
Posts 5499
Florida
2 posted 2006-03-07 06:05 AM


Excellent. If the rodents are living off Pine trees then they would taste of turpentine I guess. loved it. martyjo
StevenS
Senior Member
since 2005-09-21
Posts 945
L. A. (Lower Alabama)
3 posted 2006-03-07 06:59 AM


Morning Uriah, are you kin to Steven King? Do you have a poetry machine? I just know it's one or the other. :-) It's been a long time sense I hunted but I've noticed the changes you speak of going on all around me. When I was a boy we didn't have coyotes nor armadillos here in Alabama but now their common. I've even heard of bear, cougar, nutria, and the huge South American rodent the cappybara being in this area. All these creatures are losing their native habitat and are struggling to adjust as your poem says. Some will some won't. I think with man determined to ignore the consequences of foul air and water we may be doing some adjusting ourselves. Enjoyed!
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