My forty-foot shadow races races down a red dirt ranch road towards the pale remnants of the setting moon in the western sky. Both bespeak the early hour of yet another day on the prairie. The dry 60°F morning air evaporates the last drops of sweat on my brow within minutes of slowing my pace to a walk.
Our record drought conditions deepen with every sunrise. Predicted 100°F temperatures bode misery for prairie flora and fauna. Harvester ant scouts leave their nests ready to select the day’s treasures. The silence of Western Meadow Larks and absence of Burrowing Owls suggest meager food resources. A one hundred square yard subdivision of Prairie Dog Town lacks lookouts barking their warning cries.
Cooper and I pause briefly in the shade of and elm to absorb the essence of the wild. The prairie whispers, don’t despair my human friend...been there...done that...got the scars to prove it. Until the rains come, I am content to live with memories of paradise.
© Ilija Lukić 2011
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