The Kitchen Garden Novice Reflects

To Catch a Gentler Breeze

A cactus wren flew overhead
     with loud and raucous cries.
I watched her soar and dip and dive
     beneath the azure skies.

Then, in an instant, gusty winds
     assaulted her mid-flight
And stopped her forward motion
     like a tightly tethered kite.

For one brief moment, wren and wind
     engaged in willful dance.
Suspended there, the little bird
     had ceased her brave advance.

Then quickly she reversed her course
     and swooped beneath the gale
To find a kinder, gentler breeze
     on which her wings could sail.

I marveled at her carefree flight,
     her brave, decisive shift.
It dawned on me how many times
     I’d found myself adrift,
How many times a violent blast
     had knocked me to my knees,
But holy grace had carried me
     to catch a gentler breeze.