Recipe for Falling in Love

The truth is 

if we slowed down 

and got close enough

we wouldn't be able to handle 

the beauty

on this summer evening, everywhere 

my eyes fall

another miracle 

stares back

giant oaks spread out like gods

big-eared bunnies munching under open sky

blackberries plump on the vine 

invite me to taste their almost sweet 

insides.  As I round the corner 

I lock eyes with three deer - all of us still 

and staring. With our eyes 

we say - I love you. Winged ones 

I cannot see sing 

their end-of-the-day lullaby

each step

lifts me higher 

until at last, breathing more deeply 

than I have in a long time

I see 

the whole wide sweeping

tree-filled valley. And then - I weep

for, truly I cannot handle the beauty 

even from this distance.  Then -

I would not make this up

a whole family of wild turkeys 

cross the trail in front of me - each one pausing

to wait for the next.  All of this

my heart 

gets to see, to feel - to memorize. With light

now fading 

I begin my long slow

walk home

slow enough to notice 

golden grass bent in prayer

slow enough 

to bend too - praying

that I will never stop 

seeing

praying that I will walk

slow enough to fall in love

again and again

and again 

even if it makes me weep 

even it feels too much to handle 

praying 

that each step draws me close

and closer still

*Photo found HERE