nightcalls

last night...diva dog, the crickets and me...from the woods Who-WhoWho-Whoooo....then from the other side Who-WhoWho-Whoooo...the bard owls calling each other...locating...i called back, a flimsy attempt, sure they'd never be fooled....reward: a call from each side, moving closer, answering me....a special moment as the skygems flickered and watched in the inky indigo....today: the woods busy with gathering and calling and frantic getting ready...squirrels too busy to chase one another...the woodpecker's hyena cackle as it warns off intruders...early leaves fall and scatter like a light sprinkle of rain...the pond remains still...turtles sun themselves on Turtle Bridge then disappear with a PLOP! as we make our way past...the smell of dill and approaching autumn enchants...a monarch floats by, stopping in nearby jewelweed, hidden in the sameness of colors...diva and i take the long way through the woods. Today's Zen card - and how did it know? : "The center is not always the point of balance. When you find that place where Balance is achieved, peace will result in all situations. There is no conflict, for everything rests without strain."