Gentle creature of the earth, teach me
your wisdom.

Paw prints left behind in yellow desert dust,
he weaves expertly between the cacti,
following a rabbit's scent, certain
and knowing of his land. Though he walks alone,
his family waits for him by the den. He is sure-footed by himself
as well as in a group.
While his far-away brothers and sisters
leave their prints in harsh tundra snow
and shake wet flakes from their fur
or walk in moist soil between tall evergreens,
he only knows this warm, sunny world. But he feels
its life and knows its ways.
Muscles ripple beneath a grayish pelt as he slides
between strands of dry grass, approaching the rabbit, silent and perfect.
He knows what he's doing.
He knows it's his.

I want to be wise like you.