Evening Beauty

each evening near sundown, i go for a stroll. matisse and i walk down the street where the lillies are as almost as tall as i and then we dance through the sprinklers as the fireflies, aglow, hover near the wet earth. we pass the daisies, just starting to come to life, their small buds already starting to collect the evening's dew. we pass aparments & condos & homes who's porches are dotted with adirondack chairs. some people are playful with their paint. adventurous even. treating it as though it were sidewalk chalk or a crayola crayon - their chairs bright purple, others lime green with colorful polka dots. then there are always the more traditional types with the pristine white. i imagine them spending one afternoon each year giving them a fresh coat. painting on perfection.

flowers are abundant this time of year. so are gardens. and children playing outdoors. they ride bikes & scooter pass me, sometimes pausing to pet matisse, other times zooming pass. probably in a rush to get home before night settles on the earth & their mother calls the neighbors inquiring as to his where-abouts.

sometimes, matisse and i are offered little suprises on our walks. a turtle passing from the dry earth to the damp swamp. seeking shelter in the cool waters & camoflage in the green plants. lately, it's been firework shows. amateur, at best, but i still pause in my stride to admire the sky. other times it is as simple as a bird crossing our path or the recognition of shadows at our sides, the way the leaves dance on their branches, the american flag that acts as a startingly beautiful filter of light.

there is so much beauty in this big world. if we would just stop. breathe. & recognize it will call out to us. & show itself in all its grandeur.