We got a lot to be happy about.

Lying in a Hammock at William Duffy's Farm in Pine Island, Minnesota

Over my head, I see the bronze butterfly,
Asleep on the black trunk,
blowing like a leaf in green shadow.
Down the ravine behind the empty house,
The cowbells follow one another
Into the distances of the afternoon.
To my right,
In a field of sunlight between two pines,
The droppings of last year's horses
Blaze up into golden stones.
I lean back, as the evening darkens and comes on.
A chicken hawk floats over, looking for home.
I have wasted my life.
 

James Wright

 

 

I read this for my Intro to Lit class and loved it right away.  To me, Mr. Wright paints a picture of the effortless perfection of nature and the last line expresses the sorrow felt by humans who yearn for that same effortless perfection and only catch it in rare glimpses such as this.

 

"Irrevocably broken" is a powerful pair of words.

Sometimes I think I forget to smile for photographs.  I don't mean to look so serious, but my amusement never seems to get from my eyes into the camera.  I thought I looked pretty good today so when I got back from my morning excursion, I snapped a quick picture.  I tried three times, but this is the only one that wasn't fuzzy.