REALIZATIONS of AGE (final title for title shop)

Too many days I've spent beyond
the hills and hollows close to home
wearing thin familial bond
every time I chose to roam.

And, yes, I have seen many things
which are seldom seen elsewhere.
I've heard when winter's silence rings,
watched bucks rut without a care.

Once in November I saw a play.
A mother bob cat teaching young to hunt
just after frosty break of day
(their "prey" was aware of their stunt)

Old beaver ponds filled with wild bass
used to bear my wading's wake
which rippled water smooth as glass.
Trips there ended with my knee's break.

Always she waited home for me
to greet me with a hug and smile
making sure I'd never see
she'd been worried all the while.

Beginning a few years gone by
I started thinking about this.
By spending so much time beneath wild sky
had I somehow to love been remiss?

Perhaps only old men think such things
as years stretch long and bones grow sore;
they realize the joy which true love brings
which keeps them warm down to the core.

So I still travel country roads
but with a slight change to my tome
for now I also unburden life's loads
while on my way back to my home.