Agate

Wonders of the Near North

Wonders of the near north.
  • Home
  • About Agate
  • Archive
  • Donate

Enough

By Laurie Allmann | April 1, 2022 |

A glint of almond eyes

at night, the lone opossum

breaks from script,

declining to feign death,

opting instead to stand, stare,

hold its ground,

then turns

and walks off slowly through

the rain-wet oaks

evoking that spaghetti western

with a theme by Ennio Morricone played

on ocarina—you might know the one—

leaving with its stash of fifty teeth,

some undetermined pocket change,

and dignity intact

It is enough, somehow, along with

red-winged blackbirds returning

to their perches in the marsh,

the strings of swans, their

sing-song calls inviting us

to look up, squinting at the glare,

the last of the lake ice

going with the wind

This company of sandhill cranes that walk

when they might fly, their

long strides pacing off the space

and putting things to right,

likely the pair that claims this

humble field between the trees year after year—

no proof, except to say

they have an attitude of home about them,

a hundred subtleties we recognize

but could not name

Enough, if the sky is clear

one chill, still-dark morning,

to see Venus, Mars, Saturn

and the crescent moon in

brilliant conjunction, reflecting

on the peace of nature,

the nature of peace,

the vantage points

where even things far distant

seem to come together

March 28, 2022 above Lake Superior, Venus shining bright, Saturn below, Mars to the right. Photo by Bob King.

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Print
  • Email

Filed Under: An Agate Original, Homepage Bottom Features, Homepage Top Feature, Poetry Tagged With: poetry

About Laurie Allmann

Welcome

A magazine about nature, science and conservation in Minnesota and the surrounding Great Lakes Region.

Getting Acquainted

Take our Reader Survey

Please Support Agate

Subscribe By Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to Agate and receive notifications of new posts. Subscribing is free.

Regional Environmental News

My Tweets

Recent Posts

Wolf pups from Voyageurs National Park

Getting to know Wolves

Return of a Keystone Species: Dakota County’s Bison Prairie

Wind Resistance

Recent Nature Books

Copyright © 2023 · News Pro Theme On Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in