Great grey owl

His book says owls
are no wiser than other birds,
still it drew us
together
under the tall lodgepole
lit by the moon.

We heard hooting after a
hard day that ended with
few words as we slipped
into sleeping bags
to escape in our
own dreams.

"Dad, can we go find it?"
can only be answered one way,
and soon we were
skirting other campsites and
apologizing for the intrusion of our flashlight.
In our pajamas and flip-flops
we plunged deeper into the woods
to follow its call.

One last hoot above us,
and we were there,
together,
gazing up at the shadow
of the great owl
in our wilderness.

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Photo from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Grey_Owl