" ON THE BEAUTY IN NATURE " (for Ralph Waldo Emerson)

When we think of nature we have a distinct, almost poetical sense in mind
We mean the integrity of impression, made by the natural objects we find
It is this that distinguishes the slice of timber by the wood cutter, from the tree of the poet
This God given ability to interpret beauty, to hold it, to caress it, and then learn to show it
That nature never wears a mean appearance, nor does the wisest man extort all her secrets
We also never seem to lose curiosity in discovering all of her perfections
The butterfly, the animals, the rivers, all lead to powerful reflections
In turn, when we speak of nature we all seem to share such perfect impressions
Truthfully speaking, few of us actually SEE nature, most people don't notice the sun
The sun only illuminates the eye of a man, but shines in the heart of a child, just begun
The lover of nature is he who has retained the spirit of our infancy
When everything seemed so new to us, and we rolled around in it's mystery
I have enjoyed a divine exhilaration, I am almost afraid to show how glad I am
That in the quiet of my life, I have lost social encounters, but come to understand
That when I look at nature, I am not only perceiving beauty, I see that I'm a fraud
Thinking that I'm a poet or true perceiver, when I'm actually seeing the face of God...

Tony Taylor.   (Chicago)