New Poem

October 2023

The Grasshopper

When I saw the grasshopper, I stopped.

I sat down on the dirt trail to look and listen.

A dragonfly flitted above the grasses and plants.

Two birds were playing chase in a nearby tree.

Another bird across the way was chirping in the evening light.

The cottonwood leaves shook like chimes.

A tiny bird disappeared in the tall grasses for a private drink in the tucked away waterhole.

The wispy cloud formations were painted on the sky behind the silhouetted trees.

A new and surprising song came from an invisible bird in the pines.

The crickets were constant and the dry grasses swayed with the breeze.

The rocks were stacked perfectly random.

There are so many things to observe when you are still and quiet.

by Mary Beth Woiccak, 2023