The morning arrives softly,
a hush of snow and subtle light
spilling across the meadow,
where early spring has smoothed the world
into silence.
A lone grizzly boar moves through it,
Despite his size,
he appears small beneath the towering pines.
Their dark trunks rising skyward
like pillars in an ancient sanctuary,
their branches carrying the weight
of countless winters.
He walks without hurry.
His breath drifts into the cold air,
a fleeting cloud of warmth
against the frozen dawn.
Each step presses gently into the snow,
a brief mark upon the earth,
a story written for a moment
before the wind carries it away.
Around him, the wilderness listens.
The pines stand watch.
The snow glows softly in first light.
The distant mountains linger unseen.
He is not large here.
Not against the forest.
Not against the mountains.
Not against the sky.
Not against the vast white world,
stretching beyond sight.
And yet he belongs to it all.
And beneath the cathedral pines,
the world is exactly as it was meant to be,
snow falling softly,
morning awakening slowly,
and a grizzly bear
crossing the silence alone.
Image captured in Yellowstone National Park
Spring, 2026
Canon EOS R5 Mirrorless Camera
Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 L IS USM
