In That Clearing Wolf Came

Can you see her there in the half-light?

Tracing her hands over her nightdress
     Running her hands
          Over her hair

     Straightening her bedclothes
          And washing her face
               In the basin

               A daily routine
                    That made her heart sing

Her voice
     A whisper Good Morning
          To the one she loved in spirit

The sound of the forest birds
     A mirror of her joy

Stepping into her boots
     At the front door
          And wrapping a shawl
               Round her shoulders

     She stepped out
          Into moist air

Suns first light
     Rising over the treetops
          No warmth
               Only kisses
                    Chasing away shadow
               Waking each blade of grass
                    One by one
                         Across the field it danced over

There she strolled
     Our Agatha

No tender steps
     A purposeful stride
          Wide steps

Worn path
     A peaceful
          Determination
               Spent
                    A forest glade her destination

     And in that clearing

                         Wolf came

Watch his gleeful step
     He came to her there
          And together
     They made there way along the forest edge
          She in the open
               He in the trees

Both with well-worn paths to follow

A friendship
     Between species
          That held a bond so sweet
               That even time would surrender to them

No one knew of her love affair with wolf
     She never said

     And who would care if this young woman
          Strolled to the forest at dawn?

‘A morning constitutional’
     They say
          With no further thought of it

While she
     And he
          Delighted in each others company
     In a way
          That exceeded all boundaries of natural physical law

They knew each other deeply
     Felt each others heart beat
          Well beyond the moments spent
               In company of the other

They were one
     Always

          This visit was simply
               An opportunity to experience touch
                    Brief as it was

               To feel each others breath
                    Hand on fur
                         Tongue on face
                              Home at last

Brief as it is

This spirit earth dance
     Brilliant beyond measure

     Lets say a prayer of gratitude

          Agatha wouldn’t have it
               Any other way

Love is like that

Beyond measure

And when she returns?

The day is worth beginning,
     And not a moment before