My View of the Nature Center at Funks Grove
sights at my local nature preserve
A beautiful day in the nature center.
The sun glistens across the window panes of the sitting room. An Opossum makes its rounds scrounging for food on the ground outside the building. I see birds of all colors come to the feeder. A hummingbird flutters towards me between the glass.
The grass, a vibrant green, flows for acres of land. Rows of corn stalk part ways through the land.
A giant red barn holds fun activities, for kids and adults alike.
Let us go through the trellis arch of flowers to explore the trails. A maze I can get lost in, this way or that. Colored arrows of green, purple, and yellow mark the trails. Finding your way back is never an easy feat. On the green trail, I walk a mile or two. A highway in the distance. I hear semi‘s rumbling as the 18 wheeler continues its journey to delivery. On the purple trail, a rumbling stream of water laps over the rocks. I jump from rock to rock avoiding the splash.
As I made my way back parting through the wildflowers, I stopped to catch my breath. I take in the beauty of the woods around me. The trees are so tall, filled with ancient wisdom. Oh, the people they’ve seen. The people they’ve heard praying to their Gods that they find their way back.
The grass trodden paths leading to different ways, this or that.
As we exit the trails we make our way to the kid’s playground. The entry, a wooden covered bridge. As you walk across the rickety wood panels, you look down to see a stream. Lots of rocks and overgrown weeds down the canal. A garden snake slithers on by through the brush. The tire swing sways with a gentle breeze in the distance. A thick dead tree trunk lays on its side behind the swing. The children play in the sandbox and others perform silly songs on a stage. I watch the kids jump off the stage and take my turn.
I stand four feet off the ground, close my eyes and breathe in the air. A breeze caresses my body and I feel the warmth of the spring sun hit my face from between the trees.
As I step down, I walk back to the building of the nature center. I decide to go back to the sitting room where I started. To wait for the sign of a cardinal. A symbol of my ancestor’s long past. I put my hand up to the windowpane and watch.
I wait.
I am at peace.
