Morning Sanctuary

From this towering vantage point

blankets of gauzy fog shroud the valley floor

hiding it from my sight.

Sunlight, a promise on the horizon,

will soon burn the mists away.

But for now the sun’s feeble rays

stain the morning skies in muted

hues of rose, lavender and coral.

Gaining gradually in intensity,

she rises in the eastern sky

burning off in patches the mantle of fog

until no vestige remains

to hide the earth from view.

A hawk glides effortlessly overhead

searching for an unwary morsel

stirring far below to satiate his hunger.

And in this hushed place, I listen to the softly

whispered song of the sunrise,

the muffled stirring of the wind in the trees and

chattering voices of woodland creatures

in this, my morning sanctuary.