In the Stillness

I’ve wanted to do this for a long time. Just sit in nature and let it over take me and write. Use my senses to observe and listen to the voice of the earth. As I learned of #writeout, a collaboration between the National Parks and the National Writing Project, I knew now was the perfect time. With inspiration from Six Room Poems by Moving Writers, I set out on a fall day to hike and write.

As I enter your space,
Time stands still.

Tall, skinny trees
Bare until the canopy of green
Takes over the sky.
Long trunks 
With peeling bark
Exposing fresh layers of life

A random leaf floats to the earth

Grey brown takes over the stage
Patches of yellow dot the backdrop
Peek-a-boo light pops in the shadows
Brown dried leaves blanket
The forest floor
The dead returning to nourish the earth

Wind moves the branches
The shadows dance
And then return to stillness

Listen closely
There is no silence
The hum of insects becomes white noise
The wind moves in slowly
Rustling a wave of leaves and branches
Like a pattering of the rain

This space is a gift
The rush of life slows down
Senses come alive
Hearts soften
Minds become curious

Life can be so simple
So beautiful