The Watchful Eye

Tis the watchful eye that always sees

That which is carefully hidden beneath

Brambles entwine gnarled branches

Ivy shrouds the sun from above

Pale green moss gathers below

To step through a challenge

Walking near impossible

Distortions change as the hours pass

Sight means many things

With splinters of golden sunlight

Casting long jagged shadows

Where life finds a space to hide

The small hunting the smaller

The circle of life turns yet again

Holding fast and scanning

For but a moment or two

Then darts from one refuge to another

The undergrowth gives camouflage

Creatures heard but often unseen

While high above winged creatures wait

Focused only on their movements

Soon darkness will fall and things change

The shades growing to a black cover

Ever alert night eyes now glowing

Predators seeking their prey

Finding those spaces where they slip

Towering branches remain still

Few leaves rustle as in wind

The canopy alert with silence

The daytime hunters now the hunted

Bring on the Night

Darkness brings out the predators in every environment.  Large cats travel their territories stalking prey or hiding a kill high in the trees for safe keeping.  Owls with their specially adapted feather structure fly almost silently and they can pinpoint prey as small as a mouse.  The raccoon and porcupine are both foraging for food during the night and will put up quite the fight if approached.  And we cannot forget the bats, frogs, and other predatory insects that round out those on the hunt during the night.

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R J Schwartz

I write about everything and sometimes nothing at all.I'm fascinated by old things, rusty things, abandoned places, or anywhere that a secret might be unearthed.I'm passionate about history and many of my pieces are anchored in one concept of time or another.I've always been a writer, dating back to my youth, but the last decade has been a time of growth for me.I'm continually pushing the limitations of vocabulary, syntax, and descriptive phrasing.

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