GOD'S LIVING TAPESTRY

© 2006 Wanda L. Harrell

Hanging like straggly beards on old men,

gray Spanish moss decorates each ancient tree.

Honeysuckle and untamed grape vines twist and bloom,

their nectar seized to fill the wild honeybee's hive.

Marsh grasses grow in abandon, wild and thin and tall,

caressing the river's banks as it makes its way to the sea.

Scampering squirrels, armored alligators and armadillo,

all manner of living things increase and thrive.

Snowy white egrets, with pointed yellow bills and slender legs,

proudly strut through dark marshes in search of sustenance.

Sweltering summer days blend, one muggy day into another,

while living things grasp each coastal breeze for a fleeting reprieve.

All the noises of nature exist and work with each other,

merging the marshland sounds into a natural symphonic balance.

All the flora and the fauna and, of course, the tea-colored waters

are threads in a natural tapestry, only one that God could weave.