Several lines of William Blake's poem "Auguries Of Innocence" inspire my relationship with the wide open spaces of the Llano Estacado and its denizens.
To see the world in a grain of sand
and a heaven in a wild flower,
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand
and eternity in an hour.
In a harsh and arid early spring landscape winged seeds of Siberian Elms develop boldly from inconspicuous flowers. Trompillo berries ripen in autumn. They weather snow and icy blasts of north winds to splash arrays of golden orbs across the winter and spring prairie straw.
Wolf Spiders construct elaborate straw sculptures around the mud turrets of their lair. The dark tunnel seems a fitting abode for an ambush hunter. Each day I pass the job site, I find additional straws and a more robust dirt tunnel.
Cooper spots a Western Meadow Lark nest in the sea of dry bluestem grasses. He's young and very curious, but relatively gentle with wildlife he encounters. Rambunctious Jack Rabbit chases are the exception. The adult larks protest profusely at our presence and we make a quick exit. On the way home I wax poetic.
Make merry, o reluctant spring,
Shy blooms bear seed on leafy wing,
Golden orbs dance in seas of straw,
Spiders build lairs with nary a flaw.
© Ilija Lukić 2012
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| Winged Seed (Siberian Elm) |
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| Trompillo Berry Orbs |
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| Wolf Spider Abode |
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| Curiosity (Cooper) |
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