on this cold December morning 
as color paints the sky 
a fox chooses now 
to greet me on the path 

a simple hint of movement 
in the corner of my eye 
but as I turn my head
she stops not twenty feet away 

I look at her 
as she looks back at me
a brief encounter between two travelers 
a timeless gift of grace 

such moments can’t be measured 
by the ticking of a clock 
my soul is filled with wonder 
a whispered “thank you” my response