In September of 1981 my brother and I went camping in Algonquin Park in September of that year. It was the first time I hadn’t been in school in September in over 20 years and going camping was a good way to celebrate it. The following is a tale of one of those days during our camping expedition.

A Moose

There are times to think

But as I am standing in the weeds

Watching a stately animal as it feeds

This may not be one of them

Yet I keep hiding

Hoping to avoid his attention

His huge antlers could cause some damage

I have no intention to interrupt his day

He gracefully inserts his nose in the water

Pulling at the weeds, lifting and chewing

Large mouthfuls over and over

No sense of hurry, no sense of time

Space is where everywhere he is

And then he begins to move

Easily he is the largest animal I have ever seen 

Taking up a ton of space with his majestic stroll

Amongst the cars and the campers he doesn’t seem to mind

Everyone stays well back respecting his space

Until he moves off gracefully into the woods

In search of his next meal