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Friday, April 26, 2019

Just Before Dawn






The dawn is peeping a red and ribald eye
over the mountain.
No one is awake.
The morning birds do not yet sing.
The sleepy valley is still nestled
in the arms of night.

But out in the meadow,
in the mist rising up from the icy fields,
a young doe is dancing lightly
on her tiny hooves.
An elven chorus, murmurous,
is chanting in the veld,
and the skybirds awaken, 
all a-flutter.
In a feathered heap,
they tumble out of the trees.

To witness this magic,
you must arise
just before dawn,
and disguise yourself
as a shrub.


from 2014. Sharing this with the Poetry Pantry at  Poets United  this Sunday.


20 comments:

  1. I can picture this very peaceful scene, Sherry. So much magic before dawn!

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  2. Nice to be reminded of that magical hour ... but I won't be getting up that early any more. I did it often enough in the past to pile up some lovely memories.

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    1. Me too, Rosemary. My head HATES being upright in the morning. It protests.

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  3. Oh... but dawn is so very early at our latitudes so it might be easier to stay up late :-)

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  4. In fact, now that I am old, that is what I do, Bjorn. I used to be an early riser, but now getting out of bed is harder to manage, definitely impossible at dawn.

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  5. I will, then, be camouflaged by a shrub.

    I love this. When I visit my in-laws, I spend hours and hours standing quietly by the window, or leaning a against a tree... just to see the wild do its wild thing... while I watch.

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  6. Oh yes the sight at early dawn is absolutely magical!!❤️

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  7. Dancing deer are a magical sight. Deer in general, maybe. :)

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  8. Very peaceful. I love the beauty of dawn, i like to watch the sun rise!
    You are right, there is magic in dawn - everything is so tranquil 😊🙂

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  9. A beautiful, visual poem … love the charming close. It seems to finish it with a whimsical note that ready infuses the piece with enchantment … 'disguise yourself as a shrub' … magic.

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  10. Oh the surprise of the disguise is delightful. Thanks for droppjng by mu sumie Sunday today

    Much🕊love

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  11. There is nothing quite like being close (quiet and still) to wildlife and feeling that you are part of natures world as well. The only trouble in Australia is that snakes (which are abundant) may show their faces too!

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  12. there is so much to see before dawn.
    i used to work the graveyard shift. there are always activities in the city, maybe not that much wildlife, but enough action to write a poem. :)

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  13. Love the close.. it is a pleasure to wake up early and go see nature..

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  14. I am the early bird in my family. I didn't start off that way, but repeated work habits ground it into me. And I have seen some really beautiful things as the world gets kissed good morning by the rising sun.

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  15. A magical scene you paint here, Sherry!

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  16. A beautiful witness to the serenity of dawn!

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