From My Window

At my window, is the weeping willow,
Bending lightly on the summer breeze,
Shadows splashed along the moon in quiet,
Heavy hush, only overcome by trills—
Those songs of the night distinctly resonate.

Yet rattles in the nightful deep,
The owl’s call strikes across the stars
A flutter of beauty lingers near,
Awash from above like mountain streams
That greet the shores beneath their winds;
And here, O silent beings of the air,
Your soft breaths measure close its soothing prayer.

• Ralph Waldo Emerson