Monday, April 18, 2011

Dreaming of Dawn Dancers

Monday, April 18, 2011
5 comments
In my dreams I have seen you there, dancing.
Dew-kissed little bluestem your stage set.
Grunting bison and whistling meadowlarks your only audience, save for me.

Many's the time I thought to come find you, but life snatched my plans from me as the prairie wind tugs at my words. Getting to the middle of nowhere requires more than good intentions.

Now sitting hunkered down, as if to imitate your own pre-dance posture, I wait, breathless, for your show to begin. I hear you hoot and whinny, gurgle and cluck. I am beside myself with anticipation.
All of us are waiting for the sun to tell us when this show can begin. As it has for thousands of years, the sun rules this natural phenomenon. No one will blink the house lights to alert us. We must be here, poised, prepared to leap and court. Or in my case, prepared to gasp with utter amazement.

I'd like to thank you gentlemen for letting me watch your prairie ballet. And, lest we forget, thanks also to the ladies for making these dudes dance.

5 comments:

On April 18, 2011 at 1:09 PM Unknown said...

Beautiful prose capturing the allure of the Prairie Chicken!

Hey, I hope to see you in my neck of the woods at The Great Salt Lake Bird Festival.

On April 18, 2011 at 5:02 PM KaHolly said...

Wow! Nicely said. I'm blown away.

On April 19, 2011 at 1:01 PM Eric Beck said...

Great words Bill and I love the ghostly photos, very appropriate!

On April 19, 2011 at 4:49 PM nina said...

I love this, Bill!
And I must now add waiting on prairie chickens to my bucket list.

On April 20, 2011 at 10:16 AM Jeff Jones said...

The photos are perfectly matched with the text. Well captured and paired!


[BACK TO TOP]