I was reading last night when my daughter opened my door and asked what’s happening. Through the opened windows, a fox was screaming — a chilling sound — as if a child was in distress. The fox wandered in the woods and ravine behind our house, coming and going, calling.
Eventually, I turned off my light and lay in the darkness. Our cat sat on the windowsill, pressed up against the screen, listening to the wild world. What a relief — simply the natural world, hungering.
The power of dissent is a rich part of who we are.
— Sameer Pandya, Members Only
Stony Soil Vermont 
Yes, the natural world tethers us. At least that is where I am anchored. Your last sentence reminds me of this poem I saw on the wall, some years back, in the PICU (pediatric intensive care unit) where my son was on life support for 3 and 1/2 weeks.
There is a brook in the mountains
nobody I ask knows it’s name.
It shines on the earth like a piece of the sky. It falls away in waterfalls,
with a sound like rain. It twists
between rocks and makes deep pools.
It divides into islands. It flows through
calm reaches. The years go by,
its clear depths never change.
~ Ch’u Ch’uangl
Nancy, this is a beautiful poem. Thank you so much for sharing!
And I really hope your son recovered fully.
Very best — Brett
He did!
So glad to hear that!!