shepherds shelter

“In times of grief and pain there is great solace in fierce landscapes.”
— Steve Bouma-Prediger

glacially-shaped stones 
dot the jagged 
shoreline rising 
into a blur of burgeoning 
glorious greens of every shade
maples, beeches, and birches
intermingled among the evergreens

erupting from the earth
hurtling towards heaven
two bare trunks thick with strength
all others reach their highest tips
before branches even begin

bent to the whims of wind
and to one another
bowing in towards each other
like two shepherds tending a flock

i feel
inexplicably
protected 
seen in this
handcrafted presence

Written by Scott Moore
Illustrated by Landon Wideman

Inspired May 2024