Precisely woven ivory threads
Braided into a worn basket
Cradles me
While lengthy beams of pine
Provide unrelenting support.

Swinging in the weathered hammock
I am weightless
Free for flight
But my feet don’t leave
The comfort of
Enclosure,
The security of
Relaxation.

The sunshine fading
On a summer evening
Finds us swaying
And lets her golden
Inferno curls
Down to enlighten us,
And warm us
From the soft breath
Of a cool wind exhaling.

A violet geranium
Blooms with pride
Of her beauty.
I watch from the hammock’s embrace
As a hummingbird encounters
This splendor, too.

When it quiets
The still water is solemn
Safe from intruders at the moment
Like the basket that holds me
We are both protected,
Clear of interruptions.

The hammock bestows
A secret gift to me,
An offering of observation.
A package lending me
Innocent green eyes
To admire the natural world.

The present is wrapped
In magnificent bows
Of precisely woven ivory threads