and less wild:
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Advent, Kenneth Rexroth
For Brother Antonius
Rorate coeli, desuper, et nubes pluant
justum. Aperiatur terra, et germinet
Salvatorem.
The year draws down. In the meadows
And high pastures, the green grass veins
The grey. Already the stubble
Fields are green. Orion stands
Another year over California,
Simple and lucent, guarding the full moon.
Dew descends from heaven
Good pours from the clouds.
The earth wavers on its whirling track.
We milk by lantern light. The shadows
Of the cattle are illimitable.
The lantern light knots in gouts of gold.
As the sun retreats, and the moon
Turns its face away and back again,
Following the spinning earth
Like our following lanterns
Through the dark, back to the white breath
Of the cattle, back to the smell
Of hay and dung and milk,
Back to the placental
Dark in the abandoned ruins,
God goes again to birth.
An evening hike, and a second encounter with a flock of wild turkeys.
They really are remarkably ugly birds.
Although it snowed just about a week ago, Saturday managed to be an incredibly beautiful day. At about 70F/20C it was far too spectacular to spend indoors, so I took myself off for a hike. The best fall colour has passed, but there are still plenty of stands of colourful scrub oak, mountain mahogany, and sumac.
The prairie dog town I took photos of in the summer has expanded nicely over the season, although the occupants are just as photo-shy as ever.
A highlight of the day though, was watching a flock of wild turkeys parade from the prairie to a stand of scrub oak. The group was well past the limit of the camera's lens, but it is such a special sight, I wanted to post the pictures anyway.
To round out the wonder of the day, I came across this gorgeous fellow soaking up the warmth from the sand in this dry creek bed...I am either remarkably unthreatening, or the bed was far too comfortable for him to give up, as he barely twitched while I flitted about, taking photos. He is in beautiful condition, which made me very happy to see.