C R Clark (1946 / Arkansas)

Seems natural to me to be drawn to the wild
To get high on breathing the crystal clean air
To soar with the hawk in the clear azure sky
Or to fish in the stream with the wild grizzly bear

The wapiti grazes the verdant hillside
At home and at ease in the thin mountain air
And, has never so much as, wished on a star
To be anywhere else, in the world, but up there

And down in the valley the antelope roam
And feed on the fruits of the green, grassy lea
The Seal, the Walrus, the Penguin, and Whale
Are at home in the chill of the cold arctic sea

And down in the Amazon jungle’s midst
There, primitive people, in nature, survive
They live all their lives in their rain forest home
Depending on, just, what the forest provides

Though I’m not equipped to live life as these do
In my mind I can travel and go where I please
I can run with the caribou, swim with the whale
And swing on the vines in the Amazon’s trees

It seems natural to me to be drawn to the wild
To treasure the bounty that nature provides
To appreciate beauty, wherever it breathes
And savor how nature seasons our lives

Copyright C R Clark-3/06/2008