WordPlay May ’23
The forest was peaceful. The irises on the edge of the pond saw themselves reflected in the ripples. The trees leaned over the water to observe the images moving and dancing among the waters. The monkey nestled off to the side, dozing even while his ears captured every nuance of sound. The sun didn’t quite penetrate the layers of leaves to reach the ground but its warmth penetrated enough to make the air comfortable. The entire scene was sweet and gentle in this moment, not even remembering the winds and rains of the recent storm. And yet the glade felt restless. The web of life felt all its connections and rejoiced in them, and yet…and yet…something felt incomplete.
“What is missing?” asked the breeze.
The trees shook slightly, their leaves trembling in agreement. “We don’t know, but it feels like we need…” And their words faded away, because they didn’t really know what they needed.
The monkey pursed his lips as the wheels of his mind circled and circled. “I think…I think we need…uh…what are they really, those two legged creatures that come occasionally to visit?”
“You mean humans,” announced the purple-leaved plant a little higher up the hill. A ripple of awareness moved through the glade. High in the tree tops, the birds chirped and twittered in excitement and the squirrels bounced from one branch to another. “Something is coming,” they announced.
“Hmmm,” argued the monkey, “it’s more like some one is coming. Maybe this is why we felt restless, because we felt the space where they would enter this section of the web.”
The irises nodded wisely. “Yes, that must be it. We knew there was an appointment today.”
Just at that moment two women entered the glade. “Ahhh,” commented the first one, “the pool looks enticing today. It was hot until we entered the forest. The pond will feel refreshing, especially in this balmy air.”
The second woman was walking around the pond to the clump of irises. “Look! Look at these lovely flowers.” She leaned her head back to gaze upward. “And look at these lovely trees. I love the peace here in this glade. This place is like a garden. I’m so glad we came.”
And the second woman shed her garments and her shoes and stepped into the rushes at the edge of the pond. “Ahhh, heavenly.” And she waded slowly into the deeper waters where minnows tickled her toes and a turtle changed its trajectory to get out of her way. As she sank into the cool waters, she sighed in blissful appreciation of this sheltered place.
Her friend, the first woman, also shed her clothes and waded into the water, splashing and laughing at their freedom and the beauty around them. “Yes, this is a wonderful place. Everything is so alive here, and I feel like it welcomes us to share the bounty.” She sank all the way down and tilted her head back so that her hair could submerge in the cool depths.
The two women played and splashed in the waters until the sun began to drop and the air to chill. As they gathered their things to leave the glade, they turned. Each looked around and said out loud to the trees and the animals and the waters, the flowers and the fading sunlight, “Thank you. Thank you for the beauty you created here and invited us to enjoy. Thank you. Thank you.”
When silence once more fell upon the glade, the monkey cleared his throat and announced, “Yes, that was it. It was the appreciation we felt lacking. We know that as the web of life that is all natural things, beauty is love and we express love to the All. This mirroring of humankind feeds us as we feed them. Now I feel complete.” And the monkey stretched out on his back with his hands behind his head in relaxed comfort.
“Yes,” agreed the irises, and “Absolutely right,” concurred the squirrels and the birds. “It is all so much better when we see and acknowledge each other.” And as night fell, there was unity in the glade, a sense of satisfaction and completion that for that day at least, each aspect of the web had fulfilled its purpose.
