“We need the tonic of wildness;
We can never have enough of it.”
Henry David Thoreau
I have been out in the wetlands
Truly enjoying this year’s spring
Wildflowers and migrating birds
What marvelous sightings it brings
Just yesterday, shortly after the sunrise
I was perched in a marsh, with my dogs
When I felt something moving at my feet
It had just emerged from under an old log
To my delight, it was a Garter Snake
I had not spotted one, in quite a while
This sighting was even better than birds
Numerous memories now made me smile
Suddenly, I was now back at my old childhood home
In those days, there were snakes even in the big city
I would often spot them in my grandmother’s garden
And what grand memories this one was now giving me
One spring day, I had found a very young Garter Snake
I soon named him Tiny, and he went everywhere with me
I fed him insects, and he often slept curled up in my pocket
Tiny was the first wild creature I had befriended, so joyously
In the last twenty years, I have not seen one snake in the city
We have now killed them all off, like so many other wild things
Even though Garter Snakes like this one, keep rodents in check
So yesterday, I was grateful to have spotted this one, this spring
For a moment, I was tempted to bring him home, like I had Tiny
But I knew my spouse would freak out, and not want him around
So I simply observed him for awhile, overjoyed that I had seen him
Like a child, wild things still captivate me, wherever they are found
©Spring 2012, Mr. Ed
Share
Print
Save