“…there are different ways of looking out and trying to understand the world around us. There’s a very clear scientific window. And it does enable us to understand an awful lot about what’s out there. There’s another window, it’s the window through which the wise men, the holy men, the masters, of the different and great religions look as they try to understand the meaning of the world. My own preference is the window of the mystic.”
-Jane Goodall
-Jane Goodall
An orgy of dandelions copulating in the halo crowned meadow invites you and your dog to reconnoiter the grounds. The fertile weeds are celebrating their exodus from Autumn with debauchery. Mesmerized you slowly make your way through the scandalous activity traveling down a skinny dirt path. Flamboyant blades of grass dance around the mature flower heads shaped like the Reunion Tower in Dallas, Texas. The cotton domes succumb to the slightest caress of the wind and disperse their milky white seed. Embarrassed by their premature expulsions the limp red stems seek to escape their shame by burring themselves in the emerald lawn. You force your eyes away from the foliage gone wild and focus on the entrance to a shrub-tangled labyrinth.
Indigenous wetland vegetation tightly knit together with blackberry vines swallows you whole as you continue to navigate the trail. Parts of the pathway are blotched by mud. The ground’s spongy suction threatens to steal your shoes with each step. However, your canine companion maneuvers effortlessly and leaves you behind. Thorns claw at your exposed skin while fallen branches try to trip you. The harsh plant-life clearly tells you that your presence is tolerated, at best. Finally you fight your way out and discover that the maze is protecting a sanctuary.
You catch a brief glimpse of Bassett Pond before a strong breeze carrying a cloud of pollen obstructs your vision. Instantly your fists reach up to rub your eyes. After regaining clarity you witness the placid surface display a watercolor mural of its surrounding landscape. You gawk at the reflection as it paints an ever-changing interpretation of the events taking place above. After soaking in the surreal vision the trail to leads you around the water’s perimeter.
A small clearing provides a perfect view of the entire pond. Seven trees have staked their claim of the prime real estate. You sit and recline on a birch trunk whose leaves shelter you with shade. The earth beneath your fingertips gently vibrates from dog paws beating the ground. He rushes past you turning up loose debris in his wake. It seems as if the inherently wild savagery of mother nature possesses him, forcing him to take full advantage of his freedom.
Hypnotized by his surroundings and overcome with excitement your dog plunges himself into the murky waters. Cool liquid washes over him along with desperation to escape the icy embrace. You find yourself wondering if he has just preformed an impromptu baptismal ceremony to exorcize himself from a beastly spirit. His domestic demeanor returns as he pulls himself back on to land. The dripping animal scouts out a spot in the sun to dry off.
The dog’s rhythmic panting acts as a metronome keeping the pace of nature’s music. Sparrows personally serenade you with lyrics sung in high-pitched melodies. Crows punctuate measures with staccato screeches. The distant murmur of industrial humming makes up the bass line. Four ducks beat their wings against a zephyr providing percussion. Their synchronized descent disturbs the calm surface causing the water to rhythmically ripple and dance to the organic orchestra.
As dusk approaches, the wetland becomes a hub of activity. Unseen creatures rustle in the bushes. Winged insects whirr past your ears into the flora. Ants clamber over exposed roots. Red-breasted robins peg the soil with their beaks in search of dinner. Tadpoles metamorphose in the warm shallows. Gusts of air breathe life in to the rustling foliage.
You feel privileged to be encompassed by nature, isolated from the urban hustle only a mile away. Unfortunately discarded beer bottles, cigarette butts, and assorted litter sprinkle the ground mirroring humans’ war with the environment. You scan the horizon and notice a small abandoned rowboat drifting sluggishly through the water. The flooded craft is starting to be pulled down to the mysterious pond floor. The parts that protrude above the surface are covered in moss. It looks as though nature is winning the battle against the synthetic alien object.
As the sunsets you reluctantly prepare to work your way back to civilization. You fasten a leash to your dog’s collar and retread your steps. Barking bullfrogs bid you goodnight. You exit the wetlands just before a blanket of black covers the sky.
Indigenous wetland vegetation tightly knit together with blackberry vines swallows you whole as you continue to navigate the trail. Parts of the pathway are blotched by mud. The ground’s spongy suction threatens to steal your shoes with each step. However, your canine companion maneuvers effortlessly and leaves you behind. Thorns claw at your exposed skin while fallen branches try to trip you. The harsh plant-life clearly tells you that your presence is tolerated, at best. Finally you fight your way out and discover that the maze is protecting a sanctuary.
You catch a brief glimpse of Bassett Pond before a strong breeze carrying a cloud of pollen obstructs your vision. Instantly your fists reach up to rub your eyes. After regaining clarity you witness the placid surface display a watercolor mural of its surrounding landscape. You gawk at the reflection as it paints an ever-changing interpretation of the events taking place above. After soaking in the surreal vision the trail to leads you around the water’s perimeter.
A small clearing provides a perfect view of the entire pond. Seven trees have staked their claim of the prime real estate. You sit and recline on a birch trunk whose leaves shelter you with shade. The earth beneath your fingertips gently vibrates from dog paws beating the ground. He rushes past you turning up loose debris in his wake. It seems as if the inherently wild savagery of mother nature possesses him, forcing him to take full advantage of his freedom.
Hypnotized by his surroundings and overcome with excitement your dog plunges himself into the murky waters. Cool liquid washes over him along with desperation to escape the icy embrace. You find yourself wondering if he has just preformed an impromptu baptismal ceremony to exorcize himself from a beastly spirit. His domestic demeanor returns as he pulls himself back on to land. The dripping animal scouts out a spot in the sun to dry off.
The dog’s rhythmic panting acts as a metronome keeping the pace of nature’s music. Sparrows personally serenade you with lyrics sung in high-pitched melodies. Crows punctuate measures with staccato screeches. The distant murmur of industrial humming makes up the bass line. Four ducks beat their wings against a zephyr providing percussion. Their synchronized descent disturbs the calm surface causing the water to rhythmically ripple and dance to the organic orchestra.
As dusk approaches, the wetland becomes a hub of activity. Unseen creatures rustle in the bushes. Winged insects whirr past your ears into the flora. Ants clamber over exposed roots. Red-breasted robins peg the soil with their beaks in search of dinner. Tadpoles metamorphose in the warm shallows. Gusts of air breathe life in to the rustling foliage.
You feel privileged to be encompassed by nature, isolated from the urban hustle only a mile away. Unfortunately discarded beer bottles, cigarette butts, and assorted litter sprinkle the ground mirroring humans’ war with the environment. You scan the horizon and notice a small abandoned rowboat drifting sluggishly through the water. The flooded craft is starting to be pulled down to the mysterious pond floor. The parts that protrude above the surface are covered in moss. It looks as though nature is winning the battle against the synthetic alien object.
As the sunsets you reluctantly prepare to work your way back to civilization. You fasten a leash to your dog’s collar and retread your steps. Barking bullfrogs bid you goodnight. You exit the wetlands just before a blanket of black covers the sky.
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