Page 109 - Dark Matter:Women Witnessing Issue2

became more evident, then startling, deep and luminous as summer sky. “Look,” I said breathlessly to

my companions, “She’s a blue dragonfly.” The blue was that sparkling clean lake-­‐water shade beloved

of race car drivers and motorcyclists, and it spread until the whole body had it, except for the dark eyes

and the darker box, that intriguing communicating shape that I could feel as well as see between her

eyes, on top of her head. Then, amidst the blue, dazzling gold appeared as well, as though a whimsical,

good-­‐humored and patient painter had put golden trim on a particularly treasured model. We were all

in love by then. Ruth and I continued to exclaim our pleasure, and Kris glowed as she craned her neck

to check on the condition of the creature that rode her like the most stable of horses across this

winding course.

Each hole on a golf course takes about fifteen minutes to play, so we had been with her for almost an

hour. As we left the seventh hole, the dragonfly turned her body around into the late afternoon wind

and we sensed another change. “She’s getting ready to leave,” Kris predicted. I tried to keep my

attention riveted so I wouldn’t miss the take off, but as we walked up onto the eighth tee box, my sight

wandered and didn’t see till Kris called out. The blue dragonfly had launched and was already high

above Ruth. Stopping still about thirty feet in the air, she performed a steep downward spiral dance,

directly over Ruth’s head, before twirling left and disappearing into the upper branches of the nearest

tree.

My rational mind, always clicking away in its sometimes cynical fashion, said into my ear: “Probably a

practice spiral, not necessarily a dance of gratitude and fare-­‐ thee-­‐well.” But none of us believed that,

especially because we were left in a happy state that lasted days afterwards, as happens from a visit

with persons one loves intensely.

Rational mind is frequently wrong about these fine interactional moments, so I was surprised but not

skeptical at our next encounter, which took place about a month later. That much time had passed

before the three of us again played golf on the Willow Park course. As we approached the fourth hole

we were recalling that this was the place where we found the creature that had spent such a long time

in our care. Deliberately, I had worn the same hat and shirt I had on then, and my companions had on

similar clothing.

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