“How glorious a greeting the sun gives the mountains!” ~ naturalist John Muir
For my parents, one dog, and four boys,
after six hours of switchbacks with no break,
when majestic waters glitter turquoise,
there is no other beauty like Duck Lake.
Today’s blessing inspired by John Muir
Is all about nature…it’s captivation and allure
Whether walking among the trees,
the oceans…
the plains or
high atop a mountain peak…
In every walk with nature
we receives much more than we seek
“And into the forest I go to lose my mind and find my soul.” - John Muir
The forest is a calm spiritual place,
a balsam scented and serene space.
Rabbits hide in mossy dens,
with fresh mushroom gems.
Magical!
Cleanse.
Fanciful,
trees, flowers and stems.
Where creatures sleep and some race.
A place to treat with kindness and grace,
the forest is a calm spiritual place.
1/21/23
Contest: Writing Challenge - Andaree Form
Sponsor: Constance La France
( howmanysyllables and rhymezone used to check poem)
The Ballad of John Muir Woods
I squint at the splendid morning sun
golden filtered bright rays conveyed.
Speaking they say, sit, little one
rest a spell in our noble shade.
I squint at this forest of titans
sitting, I wait for more whisperings.
They weigh my thoughts across the breeze
you are part of our air, they sing.
Youth returns in kaleidoscopes
sprightly green patterns swiftly shift.
Tinged golden from morning’s new hope
their harmony in sea breezes drift.
These conifers sprout from stump and boast
wildness, our need is undisputed.
Redwoods, the glory of Cali’s coast
engage me and call me beloved.
DE Fullerton
"In every walk with nature, one receives far more than he seeks."
- John Muir
"I took a walk in the woods and came out taller than the trees."
- Henry David Thoreau
I take a stroll mid the trees tall,
To my troubled soul, a cure-all,
Listening to the crushing leaves,
My lonely heart comfort receives,
The song of the birds captivates,
Calling out to me as time waits,
I weave through tangled branches deep,
Through shadowed woods, my eyes, they sweep;
I take in the beauty of Spring,
The charmed allure of everything,
Captivates my heart and my soul,
In here, I feel revived and whole,
Attractions plenty to ponder,
Slowly I pause, breathe and wander,
When I feel blue, none to delight,
A walk in the woods makes it right.
01.22.2022
The forest is a wonderful place
so free among the open space
loads of trees with wide branches
let imagination show their every face
Let yourself go completely wild
give your every thought away in mind
making the intellect so very loose
cannot see, just seems all gone blind
Allow your thoughts to think ahead
bring in through your every avenue
give your intellect much to consider
correct it always to do what's true
Recognise that you indeed have a soul
as everyone else does all the same
for God made a living soul in creation
remember this fact it's no game
This soul is eternal, has no end
for it's value has no earthly price
the mind and soul exchange
in the woods myself is so nice
(Quote: "And into the forest I go, to lose my mind and find my soul")
John Muir (1838-1914)
During these Covid-19 days so sad
when an walking trip is not on cue
so missing in one's fondest memories
a trip on high seems so long overdue
My own favourite place to climb
is in the English Lakes so fair
down there a mountain is a fell
many a challenge to make one dare
When one is considering such a peak
there's a voice whispering in your ear
to go on up to such great heights
there's no room in you to be in fear
Listen to the call up on high
it draws you like a magnet touch
as I climbed Skiddaw, Blencathra and Catbells
these feels were exhilarating always so much
The views so breathtaking when on top
making every effort worth it's while
the call indeed looks for a voice, 'I must go'
go but it won't be a strolling country mile
(Quote: "The mountains are calling, and I must go.")
The quotation was made by John Muir, a Scottish-American environmentalist, who was known as the "father of our national parks," and who was an early advocate for the preservation of the wilderness areas in the United States.
“When we contemplate the globe as one great dewdrop, striped and dotted with continents and islands, flying through space with other stars all singing and shining together as one, the whole universe appears as an infinite storm of beauty.” John Muir
THE TATTERDEMALION KITE
the restlessness of the profound can only follow a Gandi-path. alone in a wilderness, where God performs breathlessness of CPR. his cold-damp cloth covers the forehead and his pierced and merciful palm keeps one from falling into the abyss. the euphoria of his creation, often curtailed for a season — the tatterdemalion kite with long tails, unable to keep one’s feet on the ground. the dank earth gives way to unearthed caves; the kaleidoscopic kite sails to highest heights. if i can only touch one finger of God, in childlike fervor, the same finger that created Adam…weightless, ceiling debris like asteroids surrounding me. do you feel the excitement of the cracking. smiling, the Son of God allows his glory to peek out through heaven’s door.
10/31/2019
“Oh, these vast, calm, measureless mountain days, days in whose light everything seems equally divine, opening a thousand windows to show us God.” John Muir
MUIR MUSINGS
filling in the crags,
my mind like a maelstrom,
soaking up the thunderclouds and waves.
10/31/2019
Tom Waits sang, And I hope I don't fall in love with you.
But I did, fall in love with the land. I fell in love with Warren Zevon
and the idea of telling something about who I would like to become,
even if I may never, it never did matter all the same to me.
"The road is like a river, the moon is like a bone,
she said exactly what is your meaning, he replied, I'm only stopping
to get some gasoline".
Life is like a shrill, it could be like a grain of something you remember
and never ever forget.
And just like any wild flower, the dreams were always there growing
in between the magic of your eyes.
Peace!
AND INTO THE FOREST I GO, TO LOSE MY MIND AND FIND MY SOUL…
John Muir
A cool forest trail beckons and begs
Come, stretch your tired legs
Feel the cool descend upon your shoulders
Lifting tensions as big as boulders
Walk among the spires of tall tree friends
Over streams or through meadows and glens
Eagles nest high above touching tree crown
Hear owls hoot-hoot and look all around
Still your breath. Let silence settle like a glove
He’s hiding in dim shelter, three branches above
At home in my soul I feel with time thus spent
Breathing in peace the forest has lent
Forest
Welcome respite
Walking, hearing, feeling
A gentle lifting of spirits
Verdant
I used a couplet form with a cinquain form at the end
written 8-9-2019
Writing Challenge 1, August 2019 - Just Write 4th place
Sponsor, Dear Heart
From pine-scented forests, past boulders and streams,
To clear lakes encircled by murals and dreams
Where bright clouds emblazon a warm azure sky,
A trail through the mountains is one I must try.
When bluebells stop blooming and nighttime grows cold,
The breeze makes the aspen trees shimmer with gold.
The chirp of the pika is scarce to be heard;
The eerie elk-bugle is now the watchword.
The sounds and their season soon snuffed out by snow,
The silky white peaks wear a pink, sensual glow
At sunrise when raw arctic blasts turn serene,
Inviting to view how they’ve sculpted the scene.
As ice turns to water and lush green arrives,
The crags reappear and new wildlife thrives.
Soon streamlets will gurgle and columbines grow;
The mountains are calling and I must go.
IN THE VALLEY OF YOSEMITE
Today, as I took a walk through,
The valley of Yosemite, such
A beauty that lies within
The rocks, trails, and the falls
There is a place where
Clear blue sky's embrace
Where the trees are tall
And are rooted within rocks
As I lift my head up to
The sun that dries my tears,
That falls from my eyes, there
Is a breeze among the pines.
In the early morning as I
Follow the longest trails,
Keeping my steps steady and strong
Mountains, blue skies, animals, white snow.
Yosemite with many trails and sceneries
Of beauty, hikes, through John Muir and
Glacier Mountains, peaceful feelings
Here In the valley of Yosemite.
copywrited @ 2008
By waters edge sat John Muir
His wish for us all, preserve what's pure
He twisted and wiggled, his butt did a dance
It occurred to him, he had ants in his pants!
12/28/14
© All Rights Reserved
A high calling indeed
to protect the most vulnerable
in nature and mankind
.....Excerpts from Cherokee Proverbs, Teddy Roosevelt and John Muir
a prayer...
Oh God, Father of all that is good
Shine Your light upon our vagrant souls
Fill our thoughts and actions with Your
Strength, Bless our bretheren with open
hearts, so they shall carry Your Grace
to every corner of our planet, assisting
man and nature whenever needed, so all
life shall know Your Love, in Jesus's name,
Amen.
08/29/13
© All Rights Reserved
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