BEAUTY ~

Beauty

Traveling by car

On the interstate

North, along with many

Others, the beauty

Of the day is a farmer

And his team of work

Horses — across the median

And the other highway —

Gallantly plowing a field,

And neither seeing or

Caring if we see how good

Some of us still live

Grain

Two farm boys hike

Into a high pasture

Lit by rain clouds,

Scaled of singing birds,

And call out the names or

Favorite expressions of the

Dozen cows grazing who stomp

At a run uphill where

Boys and cows gather

In a circle of affection —

Tails twitching, hands slapping

Hide — all heads spilled to

A scattered pail of grain

Can You Imagine

Can you imagine this

Being your life at six

Years old walking out

The woodshed door as

A blue heron lifts up

From our old truck

And you run inside

Even though you

May be late for

School to tell us

About the bird this

Big (arms can’t spread

Yet big enough) as

We look into your

Expression loving that

Bird we missed

A Gift for the Living

We heard them —

But it was a moment

Before we saw them

Clear the trees —

I counted 66 or more

And he was still

Counting, his hand

To the sun, as

                                           Geese flew over

                                                              

                                                              

________________________

B O B     A R N O L D

Once In Vermont

Gnomon