IN GOD'S CREATION
KETTLE MORAINE, WISCONSIN

Camping in God’s creation,
Saturday afternoon, a time to “be,”
reading quietly on a picnic bench in the woods.
Distracted by the sight of a tiny spider
slowly dropping into view
I look above to see
where he could’ve come from.
A canopy of evergreens –
a treacherous trip.
Continuing to read,
I keep one eye on the still spider.
Reaching for a small piece of dried up leaf,
I gently nudge him
to move ever so slightly.
He’s quite content to sit and consider
just exactly how I’d gotten there
and what I was doing.
I return to my book,
happy for the company.

Lying back on the picnic bench
is a welcome respite,
however my eyes grow weary.
Placing the book on my chest,
I look up at the painted sky,
tired yet unable to close my eyes,
I begin a favorite childhood game
of watching clouds on a small palette
through a narrow gap of trees.
Soon a thin cloud appears,
seeming to circle back on itself,
looking like a snail,
complete with a long neck and a pair of antennae.
Curiosity piqued, I keep an eye
on this movie screen,
ready for the next feature.
It isn’t long before I’m rewarded
by the rare sight of a hawk
floating lazily above the trees.

In my youth I thought symbolism was “hooey,”
an invention of spinster English teachers
with too much time on their hands.
But, many years later, I’m the one
who often finds these patterns.
Slowing down enough to recognize
the visits by nature’s holy trinity,
I see the I AM in this world.