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Animal Sleep
When the lynx
falls asleep, its body
curves in tune
with the Earth
except for the fine hairs
that stiffen at the tips
of its ears. The wolf
in the snow
moves without a sound
as it dreams on the run.
Only half
of an owl sleeps
at one time; it clings
to a branch with one claw
and rolls
its open eye. Moths
become invisible
in sleep, fusing to the underside
of leaves, but nobody can know
what passes through
these minds at rest
or what is visible
in the theatre of the wild
where young bears roll
in high meadows,
foxes dash
from a thicket,
and on their ponds
frogs have only their eyes
above water.
David Chorlton came to Phoenix in 1978 after
living in England and Austria. He quickly became enamoured of the Southwest
landscape. His new book, A Normal Day Amazes Us, is due from Kings
Estate Press.
Email: mailto:rdchorlton@netzero.com
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