A collection by Lawrence “Mack in Texas” Hall (Rated G)
Attitude Check
Climb down off your white horse
And sit in the shade of the trees
To drink from your canteen
A taste of humility
If a Bee Stings Me
If a bee stings me, pity the poor bee
If a wasp stings me, then pity me!
A Finely Crafted Swiss Frog
Its crystal is the windowpane
Through which its tiny heart is seen
And its splayed and spatulate toes
Grasping securely the eternal
She was the tiniest lizard you ever saw
Less than a feather on the back of my hand
Less than an inch but perfect, without a flaw
Perfect in function and form, as God had planned
I held my hand still to keep her safe
From accident or fall, or misjudged leap
But she knew her strengths, this reptilian waif
And launched to the leaves in a dramatic sweep
I wanted to warn her if she’d stayed for a chat:
“O mind where you leap – watch out for the cat!”
A Deer and I Surprised Each Other
Silence
We paused
We looked
She leaped
I said
Goodbye
But she
Was gone
And I
Was left
There all
Alone
The Aeolian Harp and the Aeolian Tree-Stump
Every tree is an Aeolian harp
Singing the Daily Office of the wind
Not often the night’s Matins and Lauds so much
But with the breezy dawn the service of Prime
And I know an Aeolian tree-stump too
Of deeper voices through its mysterious hollows
Wind whispering into the damp, dark earth
Then booming out into the air again
Every tree is an Aeolian harp
But a tree-stump can be musical too
Wolf-Dog-Coyote Things, Dachshunds, and a ‘Possum
“Luna! Stop it! Let go of that ‘possum! Astrid! Get out of it! You’ll get bitten! Luna! Do you hear me!? Stop it! Let go! Astrid! Get out of the way! Luna!” (Snarls, hisses, and the crashing of garden tools for effect)…. – Real life
The wolf-dog-coyote things sang in the fields
The dogs fought with a ‘possum in the shed
Which wasn’t organized very well before
But after the fight one can’t even step inside
The ‘possum has at last safely escaped
The little dogs are quite proud of themselves
They and I are all panting for breath
And the wolf-dog-coyote things have gone quiet
The rural life does not often admit
Time for meditation, reflection, and peace
In the Foggy Dawn – a Hawk on a Fencepost
For him the hayfield is his restaurant
A baby mouse, perhaps, or a tasty rabbit
But I prefer a bacon-egg-cheese croissant –
For breakfast we are all creatures of habit
LogoSophia Magazine 