Trail rise
Sun prize
Boot tread
Path spread
Pine air
Peak flare
Step time
Ridge climb
Wind hum
Legs numb
Stone slip
Tight grip
Shade fall
Bird call
Stream glide
Cool stride
High view
Sky blue
Heart roam
Found home
As trails of thought unwind
In the labyrinth of my mind,
Twisting, turning, weaving, dreaming,
My poetries start evolving.
The trails amble like a river in my mind,
Creating new paths – not leaving the old behind.
Each trail traces a story of old,
Leading to a poem – new and bold.
Steering through memories of joy and fear,
Some trails are familiar and very clear,
Others are unchartered, winding and free,
The outcome of the poem till the end, I cannot see!
Thus, in the trails meandering in my mind,
Beautiful treasures and wonders I finally find!
- Crystaldj
Copyright ©2022 by Crystal David John
Long Walk
dark silhouettes of maple trees
etched against the evening sky
a whiteish haze in the distance
dulls the sharp outlines
of the Smoky Mountains
my time on the
Appalachian Trail has been
long and arduous
my soul aches
for home
my body wants a soft bed
but I have miles to go
to reach the southern terminus
at Springer Mountain, Georgia
I put one foot
in front of the other
as I trudge on
just another through
hiker finishing
a long walk
What is on the other side? “He asks
Well I say, “There might be a loch, or a waterfall, or nothing at all.”
We won’t know until we get to the other side.
“I don’t want to go to the other side!” He says
“I want to go home”
“No we’re halfway there. We’re going to the other side”
“I’m thirsty” he screams
“I’m hungry” He wails
“I’m tired” He cries
“There’s a cafe at the other side”
“Cool” he states as he runs off to the other side.
Oh, come now - since life is full of care
and the woodland path is wanting wear;
and the trees of spring must needs be seen
as winter’s grey is sprayed with green.
Van dyke said: ‘walk a mile with me’,
but let us go further and then we’ll see
how the foot is connected to the jaw and tongue
and the track can move the lip and lung.
We’ll tread pleasantries and leave them behind.
As amble turns ramble, we’ll clear out our mind
of piffle and fluff - chit-chat and chatter -
and at last get to speaking of the things that matter.
Gasping with effort, we’ll listen to the other;
clarify our reasons and, when home, discover -
though the debate and the way were difficult and rough -
we’ll agree we have not yet walked quite enough.
hiking through fjord
knees stumble on dark weeds
church gong peals
We hike the trails where emerald silence grows,
The forest hums beneath the morning light,
The mountain breathes in rhythms nature knows.
The beach wind plays with gulls in seaward flight,
We splash through waves, our footprints wash away,
The forest hums beneath the morning light.
By lakes so still they mirror skies all day,
Canoes drift slow like dreams in midday sun,
We splash through waves, our footprints wash away.
Through wooded paths, the deer and foxes run,
We pitch our tent where starlight softly lands,
Canoes drift slow like dreams in midday sun.
A fire is born from our own weathered hands,
We share our tales until the embers die,
We pitch our tent where starlight softly lands.
We hike the trails where emerald silence grows,
The mountain breathes in rhythms nature knows,
The beach wind plays with gulls in seaward flight,
We share our tales until the embers die.
Hiking Hannah wondered about hundreds of hikes in her wonder journals.
She's been to Kansas to see sunflowers and Iowa to see corn kernels.
Her cousin asked. Are you going to Europe- namely Italy any time soon?
Hannah's laborious notes said Saturn, Pluto,and maybe the moon.
She had the boots, the canned foods, the can opener, and the walking stick.
The heels of her boots were heavy, because they were incredibly thick.
She had seen so many marvelous things and tasted cookies, Chips Ahoy.
Next, she might concentrate on the Midwest, Maybe Omaha or Illinois.
I thought you were going to outer space, her sister Sally said to Hannah.
Hannah was fixing herself a sandwich of peanut butter, lettuce and banana.
Possibly, or maybe Canada or Mexico, she said with a little bit of sass.
First she had to get a waitress job, down at the Derby Bass.
For money is important if you want to be a hiker.
Or an astronaut or doctor or even a kerchief-wearing biker.
Mountain climb
Visualize
Look out
Observation
Explore
Word Start
Write down
Continue to Marvel
Perhaps write a Novel
Energizing climb
Full of Inspiration
Idea Thought
Words defining the concept
Determined and Fulfilling
Hiking trail embracing understanding
Hiking, Involvement, Movement and excelling Poet
Hiking in the forest,
My feet crunching on the leaves that have fallen to the ground from the trees that surround me.
Hiking uphill to the top of the mountain
To a scenic viewpoint that awaits me.
The viewpoint,
Its breathtaking.
A beautiful dark blue sky with colorful clouds and a rainbow.
And in the distance my eyes spot the gorgeous blue ocean
And closer up is the beautiful indescribable autumn colors of trees that are reds, and oranges and yellows.
Oh how grateful I am to have hiked in a forest up a mountain to this gorgeous view.
Trail strings, earth's past tale,
Calavera's crest unfolds,
Views honor the strides.
A floor of dead rusted leaves rustle and crackle
Crunching their crisp skins dancing under my feet
Shuffling with sodden soil thick with grit - I grapple
With sticky dew grass and spongy peat
Alligatored tree bark grabs my hands then bites as I shamble
Holding on for balance on uneven chards of scalloped stone
Dazed by the cool dark mist in this early morning amble
I am rough shod but heart happy right down to my bones!
Increasing one's mileage
though a long-lost child of Earth
hiking in familiar wilderness areas
sluggish, bed-bound days
wandering in the midst of the night
daydreaming with a night light on
snarled up in bedclothes.
discern internal struggles.
simple, intricate, and exquisite
conversions from the Ember era
In the silence, hear faint whispers
I indulge in sluggish laps
I wish to hear your syllogistic reasoning
not believing what is reported
Many people can sleep soundly
All is resolved with syntax
happily soaking up insights into you
whenever you hit the silent button.
Written: May 22, 2023
Whatever the offerings of time may bring
Whatever song my heart chooses to sing
On life’s small pursuit I shall meditate
Elysian splendor around me, I appreciate
The simplicities of pastoral living unfurl
I’m graced in your stellar light, a cosmic pearl
Serene contemplation, moments well spent
A transcend of intellect, I pursue contentment
Humbled, a mochila drapes my shoulders
Now weightless, old tomes heavy as boulders
Once laden with Maslow's hierarchy of needs
The cause of sight itself as Plato laid the seeds
Streets of an unclean soulless city no more
Once blemished and ugly as a repellant eyesore
Until this vacant shell had found release,
acceptance paralleled an inner peace
A new perspective can only see the beauty
of the craftsmanship and the ingenuity
On this celestial hike I embrace “carpe diem”
A lesson learned in this hour spans a millennium
The power and value of each moment
however brief, I walk along as an exponent
Unfurling love that rids me of my emptiness
Colloquially speaking I have found happiness
With my furry, white companion, Luna by my side,
We venture forth in Colorado's wide-open stride.
My dog's tail wags, a joyous sight,
As we embark on our hike, under the sky's bright light.
The crisp mountain air invigorates,
As we navigate the trails with a steady gait,
Amidst Colorado's natural beauty all around,
With each step we take, a new wonder is to be found.
We explore the wild, my dog and I,
In Colorado's rugged terrain, beneath the endless sky.
Her bark echoed through valleys and hills,
A symphony that the wilderness fills.
The wild terrain, we explore with glee,
My dog's wagging tail is pure harmony.
Nature's splendor, a feast for the eyes,
As we journey under the endless skies.
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