It began nearly 50 years ago,

a song on the radio.

A lament certainly,

a tragedy in education definitely.

Indoctrination!

Breeze gently pushing tall grass

Birds chirping nearby in trees and bushes

Young doe leaping gracefully across the path

No cares, simply joy in the day

A friendly wren poses for a selfie, looking for grubs,

A pause, to take a breath.

Stepping down from the terrace, the sun shines with a few wispy clouds floating overhead. In moments, enveloped in shadows, only patches of blue are visible overhead among the tall trees. Or are they trees? Most are tall and slender, only opening their arms as they near the sky above. Some, are not so tall, but have broad leaves close to the ground with tall stalks growing up toward the sky. They seem to have more room than other tree-things.

Wrens in the paper towel dispenser

Not caring about the noise or vibrations

Not really friendly, the neighbor you wave at,

but never really speak to

Ignoring campers as they walk by,

stopping occasionally to wash hands,

never noticing the neighbors

He stands shyly left foot on the line,

Excitement and fear warring in his face,

A tentative smile as he looks up

Only for a moment before looking down again.