"Happiness has always seemed like a bluebird, and consists of moments." Lin Yutang

My heart was in shadows
That bright summer day
As I hiked along
A trail at
Yellowstone's north end
My friends were scattered
To the winds
Doing things that
Held no fascination for me
While I felt my aloneness
Reflected
In the vastness of
The park.
There was a raw,
Wild beauty
In the scrub,
The rock,
And the volcanic soil
That held colors as pale
As tan, and as rich
As burnt umber,
All creating a monochrome
in shades of brown.
But then,
I rounded a blind turn
Of the trail
And was suddenly swept
By a rising sea
Of sparkling blue jewels
That rose
And surrounded me
Like a winged miracle.
The songs of many
Mountain bluebirds
Met my ears
As they seemed to hover,
In no hurry
To leave me behind;
So I paused
And basked in a moment
Of spiritual perfection
Before, as one
In harmonious flight,
They flew on,
Leaving me changed
In some welcome
If unclear way.

c. 2023