Morning Light

(White Fronted Geese)

Wild geese pass.
Their distant honking
heralds a moment 
when the glow of morning light
mirrors on still waters,
dances as fish rise,
paints the land,
its trees and grasses gold.

Fleeting and precious,
I hold this moment close.
My mind grows quiet.
My breath slows.
My heart opens
to life past and present,
to time and space vast and peaceful,
to glory beyond glory.

A 1910 photograph of a Kutenai hunter, alone and still on a lake, most likely in British Columbia, inspired this work. Somehow I was instantly connected to it, almost able to feel the cold morning mists on my skin. It haunted me for days.

I knew I wanted to paint it. I tried and gave up, tried and gave up, unable to imagine any means to say something the photo had not already captured. And then that dream thing happened again. I woke having seen my version that I hope, in its humble way, reminds us that moments like these are precious and somehow connect us all.