Poetry Of Spirit And Light: Autumn Prairie Colossus

Brisk autumn airs, azure skies and withered prairie pulchritude greet Cooper and me on our morning outing. With current closures of National parks and monuments on my mind, Emma Lazarus’ sonnet inscribed on a plaque at the Statue of Liberty soon bouys the rhythm of my steps and breath. In my mind’s eye I find myself once again riding silver wings in a steep, sweeping bank into our aerial port of debarkation in New York City, America. Lady Liberty with kind countenance and raised torch welcomes our homeless, tempest-tossed immigrant family. We yearn to breathe free.

As Cooper and I traverse vast Llano Estacado tablelands my heart and soul yearn for solace from the fearsome times and vitriol that have beset our Nation. The prairie does not disappoint. Every glance across the sea of grass finds autumn treasures. False Boneset dominates the terra cotta hues of parched soil. Its delicate flower heads remind me of the aureola radiating from the head of Lady Liberty’s gentle colossus. My imagination transforms each bloom. Each becomes a prairie colossus and together they are innumerable icons of freedom and our great country. Their dance on the prairie breezes reassures me the essence of our Nation lives in the hearts and spirit of her people. We will weather this tempest.