Figure 1 – Swan pair with cygnets, May 28, 2021. Assabet River National Wildlife Refuge, Sudbury, MA. (c) DE Wolf 2021.

Perhaps the most beautiful encounters in the northern forest are with the swans. They are the gloriously pure white dancers on the pond and they never fail to delight. I came upon this pair yesterday at the Assabet River National Wildlife Refuge, and so well concealed were their cute and fuzzy cygnets, that I didn’t notice them at first. In the image of Figure 1 the curiosity of one precocious chap has gotten the better of him, and he seems to stare back questioningly at the photographer.

We have discussed swans before. The are giant mythical creatures that bring elegance to the most mundane and, for that matter, most muddy pond. I suppose that what makes them most special is that they seem to transcendence the everyday. Indeed, like altar boys dressed in pure white, they epitomize transcendence.

Those who awaken never rest in one place. Like swans, they rise and leave the lake. On the air they rise and fly an invisible course. Their food is knowledge. They live on emptiness. They have seen how to break free. Who can follow them?