New Hampshire Trappers Association

Stories and Pictures

THE HOWL OF THE WOLF,                                                
THE MOURN OF THE DOVE
                                            by

                                      Alex Troy

The sun shines, the rain falls,

The wind blows, the snow squalls.
A flower blooms, the grass turns green.

A bird sees light as the mother looks

At her new born with eyes all agleam.

The work of the great One above.

A hike up the mountain, a stroll through the dale.

The songbirds chirp, the coyotes wail.

As we move about the forest floor

We gaze at the flowers and berries galore.

The amazing ways of Mother Nature putting forth her all

With wonderous love.

We come to a pond, a beaver lodge we see.

This pond is full of life just as Mother Nature
intended it to be.

A fish breaks water, a duck flies in.

A muskrat eats nine tails as we watch with a grin.

Life here in the parlor of God’s world is thrilling and fine.

I marvel at the works of these things as I rest neath a pine.

A fox in her lair, four pups by her side
Crouch silently as they watch, with eyes open wide.

The raccoon on a limb
Gazes down on me like a child, who has just committed a sin.

The mink in the brook darts quickly from hole to hole.

It is food that he’s after; he’ll never get fed from a bowl.

I continue my way amidst the woodland wonders,

Thanking Him for what I know, praying for those who make blunders.

To understand is to know. To know is to love.

For this we thank Mother Nature, created by the Great One above.

A part of the universe I am proud to be.
Life in it’s many forms I love to see.

The fisher in the tree tops, the otter in the stream

Tell us what life is all about
As our hearts throb, and our eyes are agleam.

We marvel at nature’s children; those we think are not wise.

It is not because they’re not smart
It is because we think only with our eyes.

A little red squirrel scolds loud from a log

Sending a warning of our coming
To his friends across the beaver bog.

A jay in the tree screams a warning cry.

A chipmunk whistles his message as he watches with nervous eye.
A beaver sends his word of intrusion as he slaps his tail.

Everyone knows we are coming – that’s without fail.

A Longfellow I’ll never be.

But I know what I love, and I understand what I see.

The birds and the bees, the plants and the trees,
The fish and the game, all are God’s proof of his fame.

Into my soul he has put love. This I know as I hear