first day of winter

On the first day of Winter,

as I pull into my driveway after dark,

my headlights startle two gray-brown rabbits

who had been sitting there in the cold—

chatting? Listening? Sniffing the air?

One bolts to the right,

the other to the left,

their white tails bobbing.

They live somewhere in my yard, I think,

perhaps snuggled under an arch of berried bushes

or tucked near the trunk of a pine,

or nestled under a thatch of twigs.

How do they survive the cold, I wonder.

They don’t dig dens,

or so I’ve read,

for they might get trapped by a fox or coyote.

They, too, roam our neighborhood—

the wild living among us.

Then again, as I watch the white-rumped rabbits

bounding into the darkness,

I realize that, actually,

it is we

who live

among them.

Happy Winter, wild ones.

-kh-

Nurture peace, cultivate kindness, and carry the calm.

Nature of the week:

Shadow of the week:

If you want me to send these thoughts to your email each Sunday, simply sign up on the right.

Carry the Calm