"Nature's Ways"

Nature’s Ways
3/23/09

Sabbath’s serenity was broken
By screaming felines high in a tree.
Raccoons bouncing on a fir’s springy branch
Waged a war to the death.
Roles of aggressor and victim were unclear
Until the fall.
With clarity of heart
We named the victim,
The one landing supine on a log.
Has he met his cruel demise?
The aggressor, landing on the beach,
Strutted away, clearly the victor.
But a twitch by the victim
Recalled the victor to the fray,
Death’s duel was prolonged.
Sand and fir flew from under the log.
We watched the metronome
Of the upright victor’s tail
Finally stop.
As he walked away,
Our hearts sank
Mourning the victim,
Lamenting nature’s harshness.

Was this cruelty of the wanton sort?
Or a battle for turf
To provide for a family?
Who are we to know nature’s ways?
Then life stirred in the victim,
And he stumbled towards the water,
Dazed, bedraggled, more dead than alive.
Last seen, however, he was paddling towards the log boom,
Seeking refuge,
While accompanied
By two guide ducks,
Mysterious mallards,
Leading the way,
Bearing witness to nature’s kindness.