Saturday, December 27, 2008

Twas the Days After Christmas


Twas the days after Christmas, and all through the land,
The hunters were stirring with time off work to be had.

Their decoys and gadgets were opened and unfurled,
All ready to spin; heck some even whirled!

The hunters were nestled all snug in new gear,
While visions of cupped ducks drew ever nearer.

And Hunter Partner in his facemask and I in my camo cap,
Had finished setting decoys and settled in for a quick nap.

When out in the marsh there arose such a splatter,
I sprang from my tule seat to see what was the matter.

Away from the duck blind I leapt in great fright,
Peering out into the dark on this cold winter night.

The new moon was no help as it was barely a glimmer,
Giving up no secrets as to what broke the water's shimmer.

When, what to my adjusted eyes should appear,
But oodles of ducks and pair of geese in mid air!

More mallards and pintails than one could fathom,
Dipping and diving; little duck butts wagging.

More quickly than robo-duck they plopped in the pond,
Happy and gleeful with friends full of greetings and song.

To the boat I retreated, staring speechless at the others,
“What is the big ruckus? What is it my brother?”

I could not speak, but rather stood all aghast,
Finally able to motion what I spied on my quest.

We silently readied for what swam beyond the brush,
Pulling out our smooth bores, shells, and calls in a rush.

Without even a sound we anxiously awaited,
For shoot time to appear with great hope on our faces.

The minutes crept like hours as the chatter went on,
The ducks unaware of our intentions at dawn.

And then, in a second, we noticed a great change,
The cacophony of sounds suddenly beginning to fade.

We sprang to our feet in a great hurried rush,
In time to see winged bodies leaping up beyond the tall brush.

And in moments the scene, it was gone in a flash,
The hopes of great quarry so suddenly dashed.

We eased into our seats without even a word,
Then turned and high-fived for what we observed.

The smiles, they grew, all across our cold faces,
As we excitedly recalled this moment of greatness.

It was then that we drew still and quiet in our minds,
Reflecting on the importance of hunting in our lives.

One thing is true and has never been clearer,
It is moments like this that we are grateful and hold dear.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and was able to enjoy family, friends and some outdoors time. My best to you all.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Very well done, my friend. I enjoyed this and the creativity that it took. Happy holidays to you and your family.

Holly Heyser said...

Amen to that!

Anonymous said...

Nice job. It's a hunter's poem. I like it.

The Hunter's Wife said...

How creative. I hope you and your family had a wonderful Christmas as well.

Blessed said...

Mornings like that are awesome!

Great poem & hope you had a wonderful Christmas as well!