He could never walk his land without...
A poem.
He could never walk his land without
听somehow tending it, too,
听whether by truing up a fencepost,
听boundary marker or sapling;
听uprooting the invasive weeds
听creeping along the pasture edge;
听lifting a dead branch off the wire fence
听tracing the line between pasture
听and woodlot 鈥� or simply gazing
听at the swell of it all, as if checking
听a sleeping child's breathing.
听Today he whistled for the horses,
听then bent, his body a question mark,
听and gently plucked from the soil
听of the cow-cropped clover an
听arrowhead, whole, and so point-perfect
听it might have been chiseled that morning.
听He slipped it in his pocket and
听walked on, fingering its cherty edges
听marveling at what he thought of as luck 鈥�
听never once calculating the time he'd spent
听walking his farm.
听 鈥� Sue Wunder