Winter's Mirage by Team Grace

Here is a wonderful poem written by Team Owen after her ride today....and posted to her dear friend's page after their ride.  My mistake and I am apologizing to both Team Owen and Team Grace.  Still love the poem though and wanted to share it with everyone :-)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Winter’s Mirage
February 2, 2013

A place of sanctuary that is not what it seems
A mirage
Appearing in the hazy heat of hot white sands when all seems lost

And yet today
Not a desert oasis, but hidden worlds
Of a Winter’s Mirage appeared…

Blistering white snow hiding autumn leaves, tracks of all that had come and gone
Even as we made prints, new flakes falling to hide our pursuit of the day

From behind the stand of trees a flash of tan and white
Fawns grown big enough to survive the harsh winter…
Only to find dormant grass covered in tufts of snow

“Hey!” sharply calls repeatedly into the frozen air
echoing against the barren trees,
But I am the only person in these woods
“Hey!” I hear again
and laugh at the insistence of the squawking woodpecker hiding on the other side of the trunk as I round the bend

Rustling leaves, set into play as the wind blows overhead
Play their gentle tune
Winter woods’ orchestra

Sitting astride my gelding, my guide
Winter woods hide the truth of what is
Altering reality into what could be

And the hawk glides silently again in front of me
Swooping across my path, down and up again into the shelter
Of wooded sanctuary
Where he disappears
Until next time

And I know, once again,
That I am watched over and guarded 
In my wooded winter mirage