LINCOLN PARK
Out the back door, leash in hand, my giant dog awaits. Clip, clank, creak and clank again. I cut through my small section of weeds, my buddy racing ahead with his leash clipped and safely tucked about his collar. We roam up and across behind the homes of people at work. The trail opens off a quiet street, ancient trees mark the preserve. Boys have cut trails for BMX bikes, small table tops and jumps for those of us who can’t afford a track or expensive bikes. Past those obstacles are the yawning trees which my wilderness affords, swamps to my left, where the skunk cabbage grows, to my right go the paths of the older kids. Dead ahead are the duck ponds with the cat tails and mud. The dreams are endless, Ents* might even be real. For my buddy and me, true freedom occurs. | JWH
*Ents are a species of sentient beings in J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy world of Middle-earth who closely resemble trees.