A place to live with both water and land.
And sustained through freshened air.
Where else can you find such things?
Ah, this is a chance so rare.
Senses to match, like sight and smell,
Restorative slumber sans care,
Amongst changing seasons for and aft.
‘Tis a chance so rare.
Interesting, too, for we can enjoy
Animals like monkeys and bears,
Making us inadvertently laugh.
A chance so rare.
Our big brains let us appreciate
Views of soaring mountains fair,
And storms black approaching.
Conscious of a chance so rare.
Even the sustenance pleasing,
Like food and drink the pair,
And reproduction thrilling.
Taking advantage of a chance so rare.
Solidarity with each other
In times thick with mirth or thin with wear.
Together we can stay.
A chance so rare.
Knowledge of surroundings passed on
By elders who teach or scientists who dare.
Making us understand,
Which is a chance so rare.
Taken together, a great confluence of things
That let us experience and live
In a world ripe for us –
A chance so rare.
Colin Doyle draws on a broad palette of experiences from his three decades, including receiving degrees in anthropology and religion from fine universities and living for a time in seven U.S. states, West and Southern Africa, Europe, and indigenous South America. He now teaches outdoor science in the mountains of Southern California during the school year and leads backpacking trips with teenagers in New Hampshire during the summer. He can be reached at cbdoyl@hotmail.com.
