I walked in the warm afternoon air toying with the idea of getting in the kayak to inspect the high waters and beaver made canals and dams. But the wind picked up and I heard the crack of a tree falling where I was hoping to paddle. The dog heard it too and stood alert at the water's edge. I became attentive to swaying trees. I wondered about the roots and how deep they mine the ground. Could I hear the moon rise or perceive the shift and sway from the shortest day of the year to increasing daylight hours?
If an inaudible whistle
blown between our lips
can send him home to us,
then silence is perhaps
the sound of spiders breathing
and roots mining the earth;
it may be asparagus heaving,
headfirst, into the light
and the long brown sound
of cracked cups, when it happens.
blown between our lips
can send him home to us,
then silence is perhaps
the sound of spiders breathing
and roots mining the earth;
it may be asparagus heaving,
headfirst, into the light
and the long brown sound
of cracked cups, when it happens.
--Lisel Mueller, from What the Dog Perhaps Hears
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