A Lesson from Nature
- A Lesson from Nature
In the woods, up the hill, behind my house,at age six, I found a hole in the ground,quarter size, emitting and receivingyellow jackets. They flowed like an openfaucet, all about the day’s business.It was late summer and my six-yearoldmind thought it wiseto contend with this band of nature.I envisioned Steve Austin—living upto his six-million-dollar price tag, protectingthose unable to protect themselves—driving a long stick into the hole, preventingarthropodal commerce, his bioniclimbs ensuring a successful plugging.With such a role model for meto follow, I took up the closest stickand stopped the hole, like a fingerin a dike. The flow of yellow jacketshalted, all but two were heldin by the stick, hovering patiently.For a moment I felt pity for the twoleft outside, sequestered from their family.So I withdrew, restoring circulation,and the entire nest emerged to embrace me. [End Page 43]
Dan Morris lives in the foothills of the Cascades, east of Seattle. He is the author of the chapbook Following the Day (2007). His work has appeared in Tar River Poetry, Connecticut Review, Cape Rock, and Rock and Sling, among others. He is senior editor for the online poetry journal Town Creek Poetry.
