Some questions you might ask

In all the hub bub of a PhD it's easy to forget the balance in life. I've been trying to find that again and last weekend spent a little over 4 days canoeing the 109 miles of Birch Creek, which is a few hours drive out of Fairbanks. With me was Kyle and of course Spruce. Fantastic weather, northern lights, colors at their peak, fun rapids ...what more could I ask for!











If you look carefully, you can find mama bear and a couple of baby bears. Elsewhere, were moose, caribou, wolves, and an endless line of beaver tracks.

Some Questions You Might Ask

Is the soul solid, like iron?
Or is it tender and breakable, like
the wings of a moth in the beak of an owl?
Who has it, and who doesn't?
I keep looking around me.
The face of the moose is as sad
as the face of Jesus.
The swan opens her white wings slowly.
In the fall, the black bear carries leaves into the darkness.
One question leads to another.
Does it have a shape? Like an iceberg?
Like the eye of a hummingbird?
Does it have one lung, like the snake and the scallop?
Why should I have it, and not the anteater
who loves her children?
Why should I have it, and not the camel?
Come to think of it, what about maple trees?
What about the blue iris?
What about all the little stones, sitting alone in the moonlight?
What about roses, and lemons, and their shining leaves?
What about the grass?

Mary Oliver