I Rather

I rather walk

by rocks and streams

camp in sunflower fields

converse with a dew-drop

on the edge of petals

free-paint my imagination

and speak gibberish

to the universe.

Not My Place

dense forest trees

decrease daylight

circulating wind sways gaping limbs

slopes steep in moss lushness

cloaks of maple bark

rasps of human sound

flay ripened soil and flamboyant foliage

a paste of infant vines seeps

like ember through my thick Keene soles

and, Oh, the earth

with great dignity forgives

The Long Hike

If I could ascend the boulders high,

A breathtaking sight would meet my gaze.

Long shadows dance upon the rugged ground,

A hush befalls the expectant scene.

Contours unveiled, a serene facade,

A moment to ponder, a pause to applaud. 

Mud

If my only option

were to walk on moist

soil without shoes,

I would relish feeling

the squelching mud

between my toes

and the refreshing

chill of dewy grass

caressing my skin. 

The Edge of Mount Olives

Fig and olive trees breathe,

weed eating goats and unfurling white clouds

leap along sullen rocks to call of a shepherd;

barefoot, heavy with beard, thick eyebrows

pug nose and dry tanned skin, wearing hooded

green jellaba and white skull cap,

cracking sunflower seed between his teeth,

he points to a small stream

flowing in the very heart of stillness,

watching as we stretch on the earths soft grass

soothed by a cool morning whiff,

our eyes closing instinctively

as the expanse of air exalts above all substances,

filling it's abyss with serenity, mystery

and riddles from days long gone.

At the Enchanted Forest

     --- Yoga class at Norfolk Botanical Garden

she enters enchanted

     with immense intention breathes the quiet sliver of time

into the fevered drumbeat of Life

     nectar-bearing summer bloom

amasses the outer skin of clattering wings

     strengthens the natural endurance of immortality

voyaging miles and miles on the crusty string of thoughts

     stretch palms upward

yearning for calmness and bounty of inner beauty

     like ray-tickled petals rising toward the nourishing sun

and a half-awakened spine of thrusting vines

     pulses the grand romance of midnight blue

she spirals onto rhythmic waves of self mastery

     so powerful in gentle purity she kneels

Alaska 

above the cusp of the skyline

syrupy-yellow light streaming 

through foaming cascades onto 

the stillness of turquoise waters 

gliding shades of eagles’ wings 

tinted gold-like silhouettes over 

the crisp floating glacier drifting 

in coded silences elated-radiated 

with the zing for life, I breathe 

deep-deeper the bloom of beauties 

rising over the Gastineau Channel 

a thump of delight altering existence   

Crabtree Falls Trail, Virginia

to ease the pressure on both knees

        I slow my walking pace at point four, overlook

climb over the metal railing

             safely reach smooth, dry rocks 

 shallow pools rich with decomposed heaps 

        of injured roots colonized fungi 

sheets of algae fallen through vibes of fertile cycles

        nourishing the growth of thriving water

grasses crowned like brides in sheer white florets

             and a jumble of broken boulders

where stone splinters bare the scars of violent storms

        spirit-touch of Cherokees and Monacan 

heated pores of trail-runners

        training to conquer the Seven Summits

embedding echo-sound of human resilience

    intruder of wonderment in the massive pulse of nature