Morning Walk

Woke up early, just like always,
While still very dark.
It's time for a morning walk
but my companion is away.
Should I go alone?

I will.
50 degrees, no jacket needed;
The sun has not even begun to rise.
Leaves crackle under my feet,
Lampposts glow in the fog.

Don't be a slacker, walk briskly!
While the neighbors move slowly;
Single lights wink on in the houses.
I imagine parents stumbling about
waking their children for school.

A solitary man wearing a small backpack
shuffles in the darkness on the street opposite me.
He seems to have no purpose.
We look toward one another.
Should I be afraid?
My instincts say no.

Up and down, through the neighborhood;
To the dead end, touch the fence,
round the culdesac, down the stairs.
Shadowy Halloween decorations litter the lawns.
More lights coming on now, and I can hear
scattered conversations through the windows.
A few cars drive by adding life to the scene.

Ah, the graveyard is ahead
But it's still dark. Do I dare?
Of course!
It's the best part of the walk.
There is always a feeling of peace here
that isn't in the streets.

The sun is coming up now,
and the heavy, damp air becomes a little less gloomy.
Deer slumber nearby and rise as I approach;
I talk to them, but they move away.
They don't know how good it would feel
If I scratched them behind the ears.

Near the cemetery gates
bright orange zinnias still bloom
uneaten by the deer all summer.
I pluck a few dried flower heads as I leave,
To plant their seeds next Spring.

Around the corner and I'm home.
This new day came to life while I walked;
How rare to witness it alone!
But was I really? I conversed continually, quietly,
with myself, with the headstones, the deer,
And with my Father.
I'm glad He wasn't away this morning.