[photo by Stephanie Merk]
In 1989,
I made a great leap.
It took
listening to
my inner voice,
trusting the Universe,
overcoming my fear
and some courage.
But when
I drove
the Budget rental truck
around the bend
and saw
a big red fiery sun
going down
over Long Beach,
I knew that
I was
Home.
I pulled into
my driveway.
A wooden cabin,
surrounded by
tall cedars:
my home
for the winter.
A whale
was swimming
out front
in the bay-
a whale
in my front yard!
By now,
I figured
the Universe
was on
Overdrive:
ONE dream
COME true!!!
Let
the Adventure
begin!
The line between
the life I had lived
before,
marking time,
and the Life
I dove into now,
was defined
by that great leap.
For ten years,
I lived
with ecstasy
on a daily basis.
Everywhere my eyes lit:
Beauty:
eagles and herons,
and Grandfather Cedar
poking his snout
through morning mist
on Lone Cone Mountain;
ever-changing Sky,
horizons
leading to
Forever;
long miles
of sandy beaches,
not a human in sight.
And the sounds:
rain and wind
lashing the cabin walls
in winter,
me snug in bed
and listening;
the endless
sussuration
of the waves,
topped with white froth
like ponies
galloping in to shore:
a banquet
for my eyes
every morning
when I put the
kettle on
for tea,
Mozart
on the stereo
and blue jays
on the deck,
waiting for
morning seed.
The wild storms
matched
the wildness
of joy
and wonder
in my heart,
which was
filled
to the brim
and running over;
the alternative folk,
who were my kin,
were all around me:
my tribe;
at the Peace Camp,
and blockading
for the Trees;
the night we closed
the Peace Camp down,
Dana Lyons
singing Magic,
as hippies danced
in a clearcut
under
a full, round,
smiling
Grandmother Moon.
My heart
could not
hold
more happiness
than this:
to live
where my spirit belonged,
with my kin,
in the midst of
the most beauteous offerings
that
Mother Nature
has
to give.
The times when the sky
would clear,
Perfection
was even more
beautiful.
I was Alive
every moment
I lived there.
I mourned
every day, after,
when I was not.
But just to have known
that Glory
for a decade,
was a gift
beyond telling,
a gift to my life
and my spirit,
a bequest
given freely
and unstintingly -
a gift
beyond price.
Written for the Poets United Thursday Think Tank prompt: the beach.
My favorite place, and subject :)
Your joy and gratitude for that time emanate from every line, Sherry. This is utterly lovely. It is a prayer.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful poem about a wonderful time in your life. Interesting where life takes us sometime. Glad you 'went with the flow' this time and am glad you wrote this poem for YOU so you can always look back and remember.
ReplyDeleteHello Sherry.
ReplyDeleteLife's journey is not always a pleasant one. However, you were obviously very happy during that period in your life. I can feel it in your words. What wonderful memories to have!
Thank you for sharing.
As I read your poem, I felt as though I were walking through each scene. Thanks for sharing this memory!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful!!!
ReplyDeleteIt sounds as near to perfection as anyone is allowed to get.
ReplyDeleteI loved to read all you descriptions, but this was very lovely to me:
Mozart
on the stereo
and blue jays
on the deck,
waiting for
morning seed.
I am glad for you that you had that time and place and that it still feeds your soul. Some of my favorites lines ever from you, my friend. This is a keeper,
ReplyDeleteElizabeth
I feel how grateful your soul is in each verse~ It is lovely and feeds one's senses of the beauty, nature can provide us with~
ReplyDeleteI love these lines:
"Grandfather Cedar
poking his snout
through morning mist
on Lone Cone Mountain;
ever-changing Sky,
horizons
leading to
Forever;
long miles
of sandy beaches,
not a human in sight"
reminds me of my favorite spot in the world and how much joy it gave me to be alone and bask in it's glory~ xXx