JEWELBOX 


Sunday morning after a night in town. Nothing to do.

Stepping on frozen puddles the dry clay shattered his reflection. He wore big boots, rough trousers, a woollen hat pulled tight. A zipped jacket.

He stepped through the wire fence into sheep country outside the perimeter of the mine and walked up a small hill which he’d never seen over before. Grass waved like waves in the strong wind. No trees except for a long way off to the north. All else below the long sweeping curve of the yellow grass white green grass was the broad expanse of Lake George in July. Flocks of water birds bobbed close to where a fence continued to show how shallow it was.
Wind howled across the open paddocks to the blue mountains in the distance. Sheep were grazing.

As he stood looking out ta the panorama a large grasshopper landed on his fore-arm, close to his wrist, and sat there. He didn't move his arm. He held it in the air. Looking into the globular eyes of the insect which reflected everything and always. The face was so perfect, the eyes such deadly-still shining orbs; antennae, (vvvv) mouth parts, spiracles, shining scales; wings folded out of sight except for a touch of purple. He was swept away by the urge to sing to it.

He sang strange words at the top of his voice but the grasshopper said nothing. The spirit lifted him again but the grasshopper just took it all in its stride.

The grass was gold, every instant worth its limitless containment. He felt the breath, looked into the jewelbox of nature, understood the small difference between man and insect. Understood without knowing the magnificence of every moment. The grasshopper was with him in the divine bio­quiz; a shared experience.

He expected the grasshopper to wink at him, but it did absolutely nothing except calmly contemplate everything else beneath the  phantasmagorical dome of blue blue sky.

It passed very soon and became again an empty slope. The grass wasn’t all that good and the lake pretty low. A few rabbit holes to look out for.
He waved the insect from his hand as he began the walk back toward his quarters.