Solitude Poem by Theresa Ann Moore

In a field filled with swaying shafts of wheat
I strayed to the middle with dry dirt beneath my feet
Narrow parallel paths were not wide enough to follow
As tiny gray mouse scurried instinctively into a hollow

Midday breezes caressed the ripening grain with heat
A pheasant suddenly soared skyward with wings that beat
A green and brown grasshopper wearing a suit with lapels
Jetted upward with a leap, as though he was being expelled

As a solitary child I stooped and sat cross-legged, Indian style
Knowing that no one would know where I was for awhile
I imagined that I was the only person in this universe of grain
Over my head was a dome of transparency covering my domain

My concealment gave a sense of a oneness to be enjoyed
Rules and responsibilities no longer had the ability to annoy
I found that the freedom from identity made me feel abandoned…
I jumped to my feet and made a path… searching for a companion