THOUGHTS OF A SUMMER NIGHT
THOUGHTS OF A SUMMER NIGHT by Karen A. Lech
The lonely lullabies of night drift like lazy clouds through the
darkness... A train whistle blares like an out of tune trumpet,
the chugging of its engine, the clack of mighty grooved wheels
rolling down steel tracks. I hear its whistle once again, far
off in the distance and semi-silence allows again the chi-chirk
of the crickets' voices to fill the air. The love song of the
frogs calling back and forth across the pond blends in,
sometimes the deep bass of the larger bull frogs, sometimes the
higher pitched bloated throats trill. If I listen hard enough, a
passing car's tires whoosh on some road not too far. It is a
wonderment.
My eyes stare at myriads of stars filling the heavens with
sparks of light. Tonight I am fortunate for the scene of an
incredibly full, full moon hovering; the aura around it tonight
looks like an oil stain on pavement, or liquid bubbles spilled
on the sidewalk, rainbow-ish. How is it one can see such colors
so clearly against the backdrop of the night sky? It's color is
indescribable, for it is not true black, nor true navy blue, - a
mixture of both, somehow. How far away... I ponder, how is it
possible to see so far? A star that pricks like a dot of white,
in reality may be bigger than this planet. It must go on and on,
yet science tells us there is an end to the universe, only to be
the beginning of another perhaps.
My back is pressed on the damp grass, it tickles the backs of my
legs. Branches on the willow tree near me shine silver /olive as
they sway in some dance of air, the mesmerizing movement of a
thousand graceful hand / fronds waving. I feel an ant crawling
between my little toe and the toe next to it. I resist the urge
to scratch it away, for it soon follows its own path and drops
off. I want to lie still, and watch and listen to the beauty of
this night. For I am blessed with sight, and hearing and smell
and touch... and emotion. My eyes blur over with thankful tears.
God is in his heaven. All is right, just for this moment in
time, with the world. Life may run like trickling grains, down a
giant hourglass of eternity, but for now, for the beauty of this
summer evening, I am grateful.