In+Tune

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In Tune __

I can’t even begin to imagine my sadness if my tall, beautiful pine tree wasn’t here for me to sit in, to watch the world go by and feel calm and secure.

It’s sitting here in the cold night air, legs hanging over graying branches, that I feel so perfectly in place, watching my breath rise up in a white fog, without a care in the world.

I can only see the silhouettes of my surroundings in the quickly fading light.

Birds are flying like mad to get back to their nests in the trees that make a sketchy outline against the sky.

Though the site is limited, sound definitely isn’t.

The crickets’ chirping fills the air in a joyful chorus that seems to be coming from all around me. I wonder how many millions of them there are in my yard alone, not to mention the ones in my neighbors’ yards. But now the nighttime orchestra is in for a solo.

It starts as a low-pitched moan and I’m sure it’s coming from down by the creek. Then the moan rises to a howl from deep in the creature’s throat, and the eerie howl of a coyote carries over the hills, echoing in the valleys. Now it’s hard to tell where it started.

The sound sends a chill down my spine, but I’m not scared. This sound isn’t scary. It’s beautiful, soulful, maybe even spiritual, as if he’s calling to deceased friends and family.

He pauses then begins again. I feel strangely at home and grip the tree’s branch a little tighter.

Why can I feel my heart pumping in my chest? Why am I so awake in the dimness of the evening?

A cool breeze reminds me, as it seems to whisper as it passes.

What’s it saying I wonder? I strain to hear it, but it’s too quiet. A secret still untold.

Some day I’ll listen closer and try to comprehend it.

But for now I’ll just sit in my tree and watch the world go by.