Silence

Silence

Only the sound of new falling snow on winter's wind;

No rattle and roar of the truck's passing;
no dog's barking;
no telephone ringing . . .

The snow is quiet  . . .
as it falls.

The owl is silent  . . .
      as he swoops down, embracing his prey.

The prey is silent
            in his offering.

Lark


Her Majesty by M'Larky

Oh, she hath lay her first white robe down.

It is a white velvet wonderland of twinkling lights
with aurora shimmering bright.

The Visitor by M'Larky

You come to me in the night,
your face like the morning sun
bringing in the light;
Your light

and together
we shine bright
as the stars.

Running

Since I've returned from my thru - hike of the SHT, I've been hiking and running in the woods, on the trails, in my back yard which goes on, and on, and on . . . .

These are some of my latest thoughts.


Running by M'Larky

Running;
faster and faster.

The taste of freedom
on the tip of my tongue.

Where cool wind meets sweat,
like lost lovers' kisses upon my skin.

It's hard to say;

where you leave off . . .

And I begin.

(E)merging by M'Larky

The primordial language,

ancient and universal,

is Nature.

It is written in stone,

upon the land

Within a spider's web

 in each grain of sand.

It is in the wind,
In the birds song

The configuration of twigs.

It is in the stars, in the sun;

It is everywhere; it is everyone.

The  melding of the universe

as one.

Reflections on my Recent SHT Hike

What started out to be important (the miles), very quickly became ‘in the moment’.  And more about taking the time to stop:  to see, to taste, to breathe in and merge with.  It was about letting everything unfold each day.  According to nature’s plan.  And my intuition.

This journey was not at all about the hike.  But rather the exploration of myself.  With complete freedom.  I didn’t want for any thing or any one.  (Except for maybe a lighter pack.)  I was filled with such a sense of peace.  Even in the moments of what seemed dangerous, I knew all would be fine.  Even if I died.   

It reminded me of how, after both my mother's & aunt’s deaths (I took care of them for several years, and we all lived together), they came to me in a dream and said, “Don’t worry about anything.  Everything is fine and beautiful.  If you could only see.”

I so connected with this on this journey.

I have always been a free spirit.  I have traveled all over:  hiked, hitch-hiked.  In the U.S., in different places in the world, but, even so, I have never tasted as much freedom as this.  Until you’ve had it, and then not , you could not know true appreciation.

I realize that I am the master of my own freedom:  we all are.  It is a state of mind.  We create our own feelings by focusing in on what is pleasant and what is not:  that is our choice.  I fall in love – not with the person who necessarily stands before me – but I have chosen to focus my attention on that person – and  then'' I '' create the feeling inside me , love.  I could focus that same attention on my dog:  unconditional (I do).  A flower, a man, (I’ll pick the dog every time).  This realization is something I won’t forget. We have so much power over everything ,depending on how we chose to see it. 

Often, on this journey, there are no words to describe where I am or who I am at any particular moment.  Among velvet red mushrooms, verdant moss, and cool waters surrounding me from streams to rivers to ponds, I am home.  Those are the only words I know.
I LOVE THIS LIFE !

 It's Weird to be Home by M'Larky

It’s weird to be home.

I can’t imagine how

claustrophobic it would be,

Had I been gone longer.

I’d be a Neanderthal.

It’s a definite adjustment;

being indoors.

I really could camp for (part of)

the rest of my life.

Without the 38 pound backpack,

thank you very much.