When We Think Of Nature..

When we think of nature we have a distinct, almost poetical sense in the mind
We mean the integrity of impression, made by the natural objects we find
It is this that distinguishes the stick of timber of the wood cutter, from the tree of a poet
This god given ability to interpret beauty, to hold it, to caress it, and then learn to show it
Nature never wears a mean appearance, nor does the wisest man extort all her secrets
We also never seem to lose curiosity by discovering all of her perfections
The butterfly, the animals, the rivers, all leave such powerful reflections
That when we speak of nature we all seem to share such perfect impressions
To speak truthfully, few of us actually SEE nature, most people don't notice the sun
The sun only illuminates the eye of a man, but shines into the heart of a child, 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 in its mystery
I have enjoyed a divine exhileration, I am almost fearful to show how glad I am
That in the quiet of my illness, 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)