Aim

He moves quickly through the underbrush

I follow close behind, pushing

Briars cautiously with a hand prepared

To let go hastily and a throat

Holding onto a shudder in response

To the graze of the briar against

Soft, naked skin

He pulls bare branches back,

Threading his way through the pines,

Oaks, birch and different trees

Who sit waiting the first sunlight beam

Of a morning breaking through the night

Delighting in the flickers of life

Birds chirping, honeybees buzzing,

Deer and rabbit scurrying back toward

Their havens, dens awaiting

Leaves crunch softly beneath our feet

In the heart of the forest where

Silence is never as silent as it seems

He keeps moving and I keep following

Listening to the soft whisper

Of a mountain wood coming alive

I break free from his heavy step

Begin to follow the trail of a doe who must

Be going back to her fawn

And look closely for the signs of life

That cling to the dew covered vines and wild flowers

As they grace the edge of the woods

With lavender breath and a crimson caress

Creating beauty amid the jungle of emerald sighing

Softly, like a trace of joy embracing

The colorful nirvana of a realm that relieves

Hearts of their suffering and minds

Of their anxieties, creates a sphere of bliss

Where only God has the ability to grace its perimeters

With gentle hope that warms the heart

And soothes the spirit

He is with me, but up ahead of me

Where I have yet to see

And I hear it – the lifting of the gun

The cocking is quick and it remains to be seen

If it was my step or the raising of the barrel

That caused the stag to lunge forward

Free from the freezer

Free from death

Free for now

Hunting brings me the assurance

That there are still treasures untold

Within the heart of these mountain trails

Where God’s creatures remind us all

God blesses each one

With a purpose

A function

A aim