The Merger of the Two-Fields
The trail unwinds To the left and the right Like a dream ride on A pendulum But nothing takes us there Except for strong legs And the desire to elevate The noise of the falls grows As we ascend left Fades as we go the other way Fades without a new increase In decibels The yellows the reds the white Of the cascades burn – Trees branch out Touch one another Sing to each other
Like mimes you can’t see Almost peak just past peak The fire is still there Leaves cover Her Leaves appear in the sky And cover Her ancient noble Skin Elevation meets downward flow We’re always where we aren’t
by Douglas Pinson
I love this. Esp the repetition of “fades” and the stunning last two lines. Beautiful. Also, your phrasing and the physical lineation on the page is excellent and most apt. A gentle, powerful rhythm…
Having read quite a bit of your stuff over the years, the last couplet is one of the strongest things I’ve ever read of yours, and that’s saying alot…
Tony
@Tony Jones —
Thanks, Tony. Much appreciated.
Yes, I joyfully second Tony Jones’ enthusiastic and well-chosen comments. The trick is in how beautifully, and with how striking originality and extension, the poet renders the experience of nature’s rhythms. And also what I wanted to say the last time I visited, but was too shy to do so: Magical!
@Robert Mueller —
It’s an inspirational place. I need to go back again soon. I found similar inspiration in the mountains of North Carolina. Nature does that for us. A gift. Something we all too often take for granted.
I’ll be posting more photos in the near future …