Eavesdropping On Nature Poem by Jim Manning

A clarinet scaling steep slopes to
oscillate notes between the harvest
moon and ridge-top Bristlecones.

A piano tone poem highlights
a cascade of water, tumbles over
lava rocks, swirls inside potholes.

A flute following the wind-blown
undulating journey of a tanned
oak leaf to the forest duff below.

A classical guitar drips single
chords of rain on my forehead;
counterpoints a swell of violins.

A harp ripples through pine needles.
An oboe, shrill as a rowdy raven,
in concert with an offshore breeze.

A kettledrum thunders across a
storm sky, cymbals clash, charged
thunderbolts spark granite outcrops.

A wilderness symphony
of sight and sound.