Time Capsule
My family gathered today
formed a circle
amongst newly planted apple trees
under a hot july sun
in the meadow of my youth
to sanctify our humble efforts
to heal the world
We cast well wishes out loud for all to hear
Even the insects that plagued us
The dog that accompanied us
The children’s wishes for future Earth were most profound
We dug dirt
buried the time capsule
wandered up to the knoll where the woods open up and
the tangled understory gives way to open pathways
deer trails
We imagine a network of zip lines and platforms
An ewok village
A place to which we might return
Everything in its own time
We wrangle the youngest
Carry her over the bog that will soon be covered by dirt and gravel
The new farm road
That will skirt past the nascent apple orchard
The best time to plant a tree is twenty years ago
Or now
The best time to move here and start this project was twenty years ago
Or now
Everything in its own time
Lake
Later that day we went tubing
Behind Poppy’s pontoon boat
Luke and Stella, siblings rivalling, egged us on to try and knock them off
Luke launched out as the rope broke
his body flung like a doll 10 feet up in the air
Stella, startled and scared, swam towards her older brother to comfort him
His father dove into the water and hastened to his side
The boy was shaken, and crying as he clambered onto the boat
Until his father showed him the video
Which had us all laughing and hollering
The excitement and thrill of danger escaped
Intoxicated and bonded all
Into an indelible memory
Wallahee
The rainbow came after a violent storm
A wallahee, Scott told us
An inuit word he picked up from his childhood in Alaska
A micro-burst
That shook the whole house
Sheets of rain rattled the roof and windows
Cyclones formed on the lake
Limbs were torn from trees
A tumult that drove the dog under the bed
We ate ice cream on the deck and watched as the rainbow
In it’s entirely
Arched from one point in the middle of the lake
To another on the water just 400 yards away
It’s reflection
perfectly mirrored in the now-still waters of Highland Lake
Lingered into sunset
A fitting salutation to this first day of belonging
Wildman Woods 