Fork.

I’m in Illinois but it feels like the Amazon.

I’m deep in the woods on a trail that’s not marked. There have been times when I didn’t like unmarked trails. You can get lost on them. But that won’t happen here; I know these woods.

Bird activity is modest. Mid-summer came in early summer, and the place is quiet.

I come to a fork in the trail. I stop. Stopping is good. When I blend into the stillness I see birds.

Swainson’s Thrush. A Catbird. A Red-eyed Vireo. A Great-crested Flycatcher, although its crest isn’t great and it’s not catching flies.

There’s a raccoon hole in a tree, high up. Young raccoons are peeking out. Better there than in my attic.

Mosquitoes have figured out that I’m not moving, and have come in to bite. Gotta get going. But which way?

Do I want to head down toward the river where there will be beaver sign and maybe a beaver to see?

Or, do I want the trail that runs along a pasture where I’ll see grouse and maybe a coyote who will look back over his shoulder, as he’s done before when I’ve seen him in the pasture.

This coyote’s steady gaze said, “Screw you, two-legs, and get out of here unless you’re going to lie down and become edible.” The eyes of a coyote speak eloquently.

Speaking of eloquent speaking, this decision about which trail to choose reminds me of a poem, “The road not taken,” by Robert Frost.

It was an easy metaphor about Frost’s decision to live a life of art. At the moment, I don’t care about his life of art, or his poem. There’s only so much room for poetry on a website called “two-fisted.”

I pick the path that’ll take me toward the river. It’s a good day to see beaver dams, and some colorful Wood Ducks. I don’t care if they’re not there. I’ve seen them before.

What I care about is walking this trail in the Illinois Amazon, being part of the green quiet, and making decisions that can’t be right or wrong.

fork

3 Responses to “Fork.”

  1. rickey gold says:

    Agree with Susan. I’m captivated by your storytelling and the humor and the references to literature I love.

  2. Dave M. says:

    F****en beautiful, man.

  3. Susan says:

    I’m in love with your writing. The subject, too, but the writing…thank you!