My house sits at the beginning
of Dividing Ridge Lane
which is paved for the first half mile
then becomes a shaded foot path
running a deep distance to meet
Five Lick Road which goes
down the valley and crosses
a creek of the same name

Each year Dog Days arrive earlier
and now only dawn allows me
the coolness to walk into the woods.
Ah, the sweet morning when cool breezes
and clear skies let me breathe easy:
in a far hidden pasture a calf cries for her mother,
nearby wild turkeys give me a jolt
when they startle up from their ground nests.

There are a million other reports
that I could give, all ordinary
events to add to my endless iteration:
day lilies not yet fully open,
maples leafing out after a late bitter frost,
the blue hills lingering in the mist
of a sudden silence,
                                      this day will not come again