The tree ears go up and up in a spiral pattern, reaching for the heavens and eavesdropping on the angels. I wait patiently below for a secret message, while they take their time in relaying the words from above. Surely today they will confer heavenly wisdom. So I sit and rest against the trunk and drink some water and wait. And I grow sleepy, sitting in the woods and waiting. I close my eyes for just a moment.
 |
| Waiting for the message. |
That’s when the woods come alive. They have forgotten I am here. I have been very quiet for a long time, not
moving, not talking. My eyes are closed,
but I can feel the squirrels run by so close to my feet, grabbing acorns and
stuffing them in their hidden caches. The
deer come by, walking boldly because they think they are alone. They follow their usual path, stopping to
nibble on choice greenery, even though they are quite fat now. The rut will be upon them in a few weeks, and
the anxious anticipation is palpable. The
birds, the porcupines, the skunks, and all the others hurry by on their way to
November.
The air is one of a pace that has been quickened, food being
stored, caches being checked and rechecked.
There is so much to do now, and the message is to hurry back to my own
home now! Don’t you know November is on
its way? Haven’t you heard? There’s no time to tarry now, no time for
naps! The simple days of summer are
over.
Waking from having nodded off, surely for just one second, I
am disappointed that I have received no message from the tree ears. Heaven has snubbed me, but suddenly it seems
very unimportant because I have this terrible urge to run home and store nuts
while I still can. After all, November
is on its way.
