Many a time when driving through

That desolate highland terrain

Speckled with dusty brown brambles

Overfilled with languorous air

My eyes wouldn’t linger there

A city dweller, long have I

Accustomed to places

Brimming with noises and colors

Crowded with high-rise buildings

Jammed with tangled traffic

That day again passing the terrain

Espied a herd of Tule elks in distance

Ambling at peace, grazing at ease

Suddenly, barren field enlivened

Fresh as spring pasture

Once on the verge of extinction

Elks now coexist with us harmoniously

At that moment I felt like situated

In another world or another time

Wild nature became so real and near

By Shih-Fang Wang

From: United States