I Didn’t Know

by Shane Stewart

I didn’t know I loved the weeds,

silent, lazily swaying in the wind.

I didn’t know I loved the old corrals,

creaking, faded white,

defying the weather year after year.

I didn’t know I loved the marshes,

silent, deep, mysterious,

with their different kinds of reeds

and black ooze beneath the still waters.

I didn’t know I loved the birds

fluttering in the early hours of daybreak.

I didn’t know I loved the creeks

and their songs

as they polish stones smooth,

giving me new life.