Have you ever pulled over to help someone out of a ditch only to watch them pull away with the back of their car open?
VerRonica recently reminded me of the day that my love of haiku began (last month). We spent New Year's in Yellowstone and achieved the highly acclaimed title of Winter Junior Rangers. As VerRonica had previous participated in the Summer Junior Ranger program she understood the rigors involved; however I had no idea how MEANINGFUL and challenging this adventure would be. We were required to use very sophisticated equipment (an oven thermometer and small plastic magnifying lenses). According to our calculations frostbite would occur in less than 15 minutes while we were there, but that new-found knowledge was nothing compared to our final task in Junior Ranger certification. This was our assignment: "Here is your chance to draw or write about your winter trip. Before beginning, think about where you have explored and what you have seen. Use all of your senses to "see" winter. Describe it on this page with words, a drawing, or a map, and then share it with others." I took the opportunity to compose a number of poems. Here are a few images that inspired my thoughts and the pieces of my heart that then became word.
Not a single wolf
I looked and looked one more time
Bring binoculars
Deep snowy forest
Nowhere to eat lunch
Except when hiding
mountain icicles
hang down rocky faces
where waterfalls sleep
We did try to hide from some cross-country skiers while we were eating lunch/freezing our fingers off, but our tracks gave us away.
No comments:
Post a Comment