the first hike
my body is less enthused by the hike than my spirit,
yet my body needs it even more,
10 hours on the road yesterday takes a toll,
let alone the increasing crankiness my body feels with just the aging,
I push through and get into the rhythm,
we head straight up the valley
with the November sun just before us in our eyes,
and spotlighting the cover of leaves over land and rock,
mostly all shades of brown, also deep red,
and occasionally more exotic hues,
a few birds scatter before us as we ascend,
only as the afternoon moves to dusk,
do larger animals appear where I can see them,
seven impressive wild turkeys
come to graze and peck at tulip poplar seeds in our yard, I think,
they peck, and scratch, and peck again and again,
the dominance games of the small herd fascinate me,
some turkeys just browse,
and react to each other with aplomb,
some assert themselves over another,
a few steps, a lunge, and beta retreats from alpha,
I walk slowly ahead of where alpha starts to go,
and the herd stays contained to our yard,
inside a great game of women's basketball continues,
I miss some of the end so that I can know turkeys better,
I work to balance the world on the screen
and the world the natural world so casually reveals.
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