THIN AIR

There is nothing so cleansing

as a day spent among trees

with a creek nearby. It is

there you can smell each

shade of green, especially

when an early spring is

birthing new leaves, when

the Dogwoods and Redbuds

throw their shrapnel in

impressionist splashes.

There is something about

the quality of light when

a blazing sun cools itself

wading through a young

canopy and becomes

tangible, thick enough with its

own weight to hold detritus

afloat against the pull of

Mother Earth. Here is a

Poplar lording it over a

surprising Lilac who got lost

out here, but doesn’t seem

to mind. There is no path in

this wild place, so every step

presses a thousand years

into itself with a sigh.

A Grackle sings its loopy

whoop, and way over there

where I cannot see, news of my

coming stirs up a little murder.

But there are rare things, too,

the deer, an owl or snake that

makes me pause and wonder

what I’m supposed to do?

And it makes me think if

God were to suddenly appear,

His feet cooling in the stream,

one arm arcing around,

His eyebrows up, He

would say, “Whatever you do,

don’t wait for beauty.”

Reviews

[Kelly Scheppers]

I've been walking around my block now for nearly two months, hopeful it will benefit my sciatica to some degree. I take pictures of the abundance of beauty you've captured here...the trees, the squirrels I randomly see scurrying about, as well as the crows I hear high in the loftiness of a breeze. The leaves are just beginning to turn and fall. I have no streams around me, but if God were to suddenly appear, I'm certain the blazing sun will cast his presence before me. Perhaps then, my sciatica will heal thyself... well, maybe! Thank you for this one, Vol. It's truly a gem, worth rereading again and again in my book!

[Vol]

Kelly,
It is always special to see your reviews! Thanks for the kind words... I wrote that after getting lost in a rather expansive woods behind my brother's home in North Carolina... I was unable to hear the traffic on the highway, and was deliriously happy knowing civilization would be out there no matter which direction I chose, but I had no idea which way or how far. Loved every minute...
Vol

[Marie]

I adore this most beautifully inked write which captures Mother Nature and all her children superbly in both word and visual detail. I love how a guest of Mother Nature's can actually smell the different shades of green in Springtime as the leaves unfold on the tree and are born. I so enjoyed reading about the different kinds of flowers, birds and all the beautiful animals! If God was to suddenly appear, I think he would say "Love, nourish and protect Mother Nature. Her beauty is all around you!" Wondrous write from your poetic pen, Vol. I so enjoyed reading this little gem and I, thank you for sharing it with me... Lovely work!