I hope my Dad doesn't mind me boasting on my blog about what a wonderful author he is. He has always been so humble, but he is extremely talented. He has written four books, one of which he recently finished. He is also an amazing poet and incoorporates his poems into his novels. I love his poems. They all have a lesson behind them and are wonderful to read. I just read one of his most recent called the "Osprey" that really touched me. This past week, Kyle and I went to Montana and Yellowstone (pictures and blog on it's way...) Anyway, it was so great to get out in the wilderness and enjoy it without worrying about the things of the world. I, like my Dad, love the outdoors and love to see the wildlife and enjoy the scenery. This poem talks about how sometimes we search for happiness in the wrong places and things, which in turn make us even more unhappy. We forget the true purpose of life, and the things that will truly makes us happy. Well, my Dad puts it a lot better so I thought I would share this poem! You all should check out his website http://www.kevinkrogh.com/ and read his books and poems! You will love them.
OSPREY
High in a range of mountain peaks
where oft I go to fish and hike,
there is a lake where trout grow large,
and if the fly and time are right
they strike sometimes at every cast.
But mostly they just cruise content
until the next fly hatch.
So, therefore, most my time is spent
examining the beauty
on display before my view,
reflecting on my purpose,
and pondering things I’ve learned are true.
At one such time my musings
were interrupted when I spied
an osprey high above me
gliding in the cloudy sky.
His soaring ended suddenly.
His wings began to sway
back and forth and then he plunged
into the lake. The mighty spray
of water settled just in time
for me to see him take his flight
with nothing in his talons.
I grabbed my pack in hopes he might
attempt again, and that this time
my camera might record
a trout clutched in his mighty claws.
I waited as again he soared
then hovered as before,
and, as before, he boldly dove
into the placid water.
Seconds later he arose,
exerting all his strength to fly.
Amid the frenzied splashing,
I saw that in his mighty grasp
a monstrous trout was thrashing,
a grander fish than ever had
I landed with my fly and line,
a cutthroat twice the osprey’s weight:
six pounds, seven, maybe nine.
Thrice the osprey tried to rise;
thrice he failed, then rested,
refusing to release the prize
in which he’d so invested.
I knew from what I’d read before—
something that you may not know—
an osprey grips its prey so tightly,
sometimes it cannot let go.
So, if the fish is larger
than what the osprey’s strength allows,
that fish may pull it under
and sadly, yes, the osprey drowns.
I watched with bated breath;
the bird made one last try,
and left the lake without his prey.
for the safety of the sky.
He rested fifteen minutes
atop a Ponderosa pine,
then once again he hovered
above the surface, but this time
the fish was more in keeping
with what his strength and skill allowed.
I smiled as, with his prize in tow,
he disappeared into a cloud.
Most every man or woman born
is driven to succeed.
Success makes them consumers,
consuming more than what they need.
Their ownership defines them—
they think—and in their quest for more:
a newer car, a larger house,
more lavish than the ones before,
they somehow lose the vision
that goodness is the goal.
Once they forget life’s purpose,
their wants then take control.
And soon those wants consume them.
They’ve grasped so hard, before they know,
they're clenching them so tightly,
that somehow they just can’t let go.
Why spend our strength on getting?
True happiness comes when we live
for others, not unto ourselves;
life’s purpose is to learn to give.
If we, like some poor osprey,
can't realize in time our blunder,
if we cannot give up our pride,
that pride will drag us under.
I pondered on this lesson
and set the course my life would take,
that day I sat and watched an osprey
fishing in a mountain lake.
I’ll not be swayed by avarice,
self-centeredness, and greed,
but grateful live, content to have
sufficient for my need.
Let's just end this post on a funny note. Is this not the weirdest sleeping position? Poor Kyle was pooped out from a long day at the beach. We got a good kick out of how he was sleeping with his hands so properly clasped together. What were you dreaming about honey?
