Awakening

(from Brainstorms)

I almost forgot that world was alive
As I lay in bed and looked at the
Quiet
Still
Life
Outside my picture window.

An old hackberry stands tall.
I can barely see a flutter through its leaves
from inside my sealed container.

I almost forgot the morning music.
Until I stepped outside
to a symphony of sounds
all at once familiar and hard
for this city girl to identify.

I recognize the cardinals’ call to come for an early breakfast.
Two hummingbirds flit from tree to tree,
sipping water from their leaves, perhaps.
Is that what hummingbirds do?

A lizard scampers across the railing of my deck
and I hear a voice calling from the oak.
Is the squirrel trying to tell me something?

I close my eyes and listen.

The creek is full today.
I can hear it from my perch
high above the canyon floor.