Road Journals - Finale

 “Those who dwell among the beauties and mysteries of life

Are never alone or weary of life.”

Rachel Carson

We had been camping for several days

Which had truly been very pleasant

My dogs and I had seen many wonders

Including foxes woodchucks and pheasants

On our last night on our short getaway

We camped in a tiny clearing by a brook

Surrounded by stately pine and oak trees

It was a grand retreat to devour a good book

But this last night on our camping trip

Something very strange was in the air

My two mutts were extremely restless

And at the tent entrance they did stare

They weren’t aggressive or snarling

But they both had such a pensive glare

That’s when I felt an eerie presence too

And I knew something was out there

I got up dressed and stepped out

Into a very dark moonless night

I soon saw several dark shadows

That were truly an amazing sight

They seemed to be hovering quite near

Just outside the campfire’s bright glow

I didn’t think they meant to harm us

But what they were I really don’t know

Could they have been the trapped spirits

Of people who had once lived on this land

Could they have been the souls of pioneers

Who had once traveled distances quite grand

Could they have been some type of nocturnal creatures

Of which mankind has no knowledge or understanding

Or could they have possibly been beings from another world

Who had just come to earth on an expeditious new landing

I guess that I may never ever know

Who or what those shadows were that night

But whatever they were I truly do believe they were harmless

Since my dogs are very intuitive and showed absolutely no fright

I also wish that I could have met them

Before they so suddenly scampered away

And I will never forget their curious visit

In the dark woods by the brook that day

I pestered both of my dogs to tell me

On our long road trip back to the big city

But they wouldn’t talk - they just grinned at me

Often they’re much too smug - with very little pity

I believe that dogs and cats and many other animals

Have psychic abilities that exceed those of mankind

And just for one glorious invigorating evening

I’d love to see through their minds and eyes

There is truly a gigantic mysterious nocturnal world

Awaiting each and every one of us just outside our doors

And I now know that whenever I get extremely bored

I’ll head back to those woods - by that brook - to explore

©2005, Eddie ‘The Shadow Hunter’ Kostro