Lawrence Hall, HSG
Mhall46184@aol.com

                                          Faces Among the Leaves

               At first she thought it was but the rock and the bushes…
               But all at once she was aware of a face among the leaves…

                        -Sigrid Undset, Kristin Lavransdatter

There are curious faces among the leaves
Among the trees and sometimes in the trees
Along the road a little old man appears
Looking at me from the trunk of a rotting pine

He seems to be a little bit annoyed
But not dangerous; he’s become used to me
Tapping along with my shiny hiker’s stick
Searching the winter sky for something of truth

And there are bare feet dancing in the underbrush
And faces in the trees I must not see

“…where a kelpie lived”

     “A little below the bridge was a pool where a kelpie lived.”

               -Sigrid Unset, Kristin Lavransdatter, p. 8

If you are blessed with a little back yard
The smallest of gardens, a bit of grass
Then you have pixies and fairies and sprites
They like you, but they’re awfully shy, you know

If in your garden there is a little pool
Even a dish of water for the cat
Then you have a tiny kelpie or two
(And they are much nicer than you’ve been told)

In flower and leaf and water and soft night air -
Oh, yes, there is sweet magic everywhere