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The Road Up

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The Road Up The road up hugs the side of a hill and steep slopes fall into dark gullies far below. In places, tree trunks still wear the blackened scars of past fires. Further up, you enter a long archway of shade, trees are taller and tower in full height above the road - ferns wave their extended fronds as you pass - long ribbons of bark hang down through the low cloud. The air is damp and cold with high country breath. You stop, leave the car and walk a little way into the forest. All is quiet except for muted forest sounds playing out in a soft chorus on the edges of your hearing. There are times when you feel a sense of arrival, that all the pathways of your life have led to here. No grand finale waits to mark the moment, just an indifference as if you were only ever a part of a greater whole, the realisation that you are not alone but lost sometimes in one of the many rooms of your home.

Copyright © | Year Posted 2025




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Date: 4/21/2025 12:13:00 PM
Paul, you've made a very interesting description and linked this trip to a philosophical journey and story in life that seems accurate to me. Thanks for making this so easy to understand and appreciate. Smiles!!
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Paul Willason
Date: 4/22/2025 5:41:00 AM
Hi Duke, so pleased to have received your kind words..thankyou for reading and giving the poem some thought. Indeed carried smiles for which I am grateful. Take care... Paul
Date: 4/21/2025 2:59:00 AM
I would feel perfectly at home in a natural setting of such lush surroundings. Just as you make it sound... as if you'd come home.
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Lin Lane
Date: 4/22/2025 5:47:00 AM
You're very welcome, Paul. Whatever feeds your fine poetry, keep feasting on it.
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Paul Willason
Date: 4/22/2025 5:38:00 AM
Prior to moving to the coast, we lived in such surroundings...quite stunning. Summer always a worry though with the threat of bushfires. Such scenery is only an hours drive away. I seem to connect to both...they feed my poetry. Thanks dear Lin for reading and yr comments.

Book: Reflection on the Important Things