Mantra in the Fall

Standing in a field of dry, brown grass a dusty rabbit hesitates.

Looking for a picture to go with the sound her ears pick up first,

she quickly turns her head side to side.  

She can't see the sound her tall ears heard. Her instinct tells her "Statue!"

She freezes. No quiver, no droop. Ears side by side.

Two hind feet holding her upright. Chin up, blindly staring straight ahead.

Her heart races, waiting for pounce of talons or teeth.

Her eyes water in fear. Her mouth is dry.

Absolutely nothing.  Not back to her hole in the ground. 

Not ahead to the patch of green leaves she smelled in the early morning dew.

Mantras from the past echo in her brain. She does nothing.

"It's a big world out there. Be careful."

"Wait for someone to help you."

"Hide. Hide. Hide again."

The sun peeks out from beneath a gray-pink fluffy tail in the sky.

It warms her still whiskers. She hears the dew dripping from the brown oak leaves in the distance.

Nothing ever stands still, no matter how long she waits.

A new mantra touches her tongue.  A new song vibrates in her tall ears.

Her eyes clear when she blinks to steady the quivers prickly under her fur.

She feels movement in her front paws as they lower to the ground and pull her forward.

"Head for the green leaves before you lose the scent."