Nature’s Free Ballet

Have you ever noticed that nature has its own free ballet? Who can ever forget watching a murmuration of starlings, or the flight of the swallow, or watching the aurora borealis?

In the last couple of weeks, I have seen two of nature’s ballets. The first was sycamore seeds being blown from the trees by the autumn breeze. There were dozens of them, spinning like a fleet of helicopters , blown from the trees behind me and being carried far across the meadows to land…..and maybe take root. It was a beautiful and mesmerising sight.

The second was autumn leaves being blown from the trees and gliding gracefully through the air. Having hung on as long as they could, quivering and shaking, brushing against each other as if they were dancing, they finally let go and just followed their fate. Even the leaves on the ground took part in this ballet as they were carried along, going wherever the wind chose to take them. It was another nature performance that just had to be watched.

But so often we miss these things by going into ‘autopilot’, walking unseeingly, distracted by other things. These are magic moments, not to be missed but to be maximised, to be gazed upon, to be drunk in, as our lives are undoubtedly enriched by all things nature. I try to keep myself alert and aware as I walk, constantly being on the lookout for some nature magic. Those who follow me will know that I am an avid writer and I keep a daily journal, and each day I like to include an entry that I call, ‘Today’s Nature Magic’. I find that this, plus carrying a camera, helps me to stay in the moment rather than switching off to my surroundings. And writing about these things, makes them go deeper – I want to remember these things and be enriched all the more.

Watching the leaves recently at the beautiful avenue at Crichel inspired me to write a poem which I called Nature’s Free Ballet.

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NATURE’S FREE BALLET

The autumn breeze
through the trees
disturbs the leaves
And SPRINGS them into LIFE.

They……
Flutter and stutter,
Quiver in tactile, tremulous intimacy,
Dance with jaunty joyfulness,
Reel with raucous revelings,
Zing with an infusion of spirit,
While clothed in their best autumn dress,
To eventually glide with the grace of a swallow.

Trees, leaves and breeze play their parts,
The trees the stage,
The leaves the players,
The breeze the music.

And all who walk these weary woods
Are an audience enrapt!

If they CHOOSE? If the SEE?

(The Dorset Rambler)

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The moral is, STAY ALERT, there is magic to see in nature, if we just look.

Thanks for stopping by

Until next time,
Your friend
The Dorset Rambler

If you would like to contact me, my email address is terry.yarrow@gmail.com – comments and feedback are always welcomed.

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