| On a woods walk A
walk in autumn woods:
vermillion leaves displayed in flaming valance,
lucent greens and variegated golds—
spacespathe
colors commingle,
spacespaprofusion confusing
me.
The forest courts me past comprehension. My sweater is scarlet,
my hair auburn.
The boots I wear
spacespaspacespaborrow
the earth's own hue.
Overleaf and underfoot,
I am in kind.
On a woods walk, the forest grows large and
penetrates my skin, seeping
in, pouring in, my pores absorbing
spacespaall
the fertile forest mysteries. On a woods walk, the forest grows soft;
the motion inside me glitters and spins,
spacespapressing
against my skin,
spacespaits very pressure nearly
spacespavaporizes that film.
Worlds external
and the one within:
spacespathis border hardly
bars—
spacespaspacespaI
almost permeate the forest,
spacespaspacespaI
am kin. I pray to nature that she take me:
"Let me melt into these
woods;"
and I do,
spacespaand she does.
On a woods walk, I let myself melt,
send mind deep into feet.
Heel down,
roll forward, push off with big toe:
spacespaeach
roll I celebrate
spacespathe swift down-touch
and fleet off-lift.
I am not in truth walking.
I am turning earth under
me, setting her to spin.
spacespaEarth revolves
beneath me,
spacespaallows my feet to stroke
her going past.
I am reaching out for earth;
I bring her through, behind
me;
reaching out again.
Reach, welcome, guide behind, glide, bid good-bye;
and reach.
My feet move upon the earth
as children making mother-bond
connection. On a woods walk, I send mind through thighs:
spacespathey
are willing, strong, unwearying.
They lift knees and cycle hips
across
another boulder,
spacespaup to the next riddle
of rioting roots,
up and over the next laid-down log.
Striding, my thighs
settle to the rhythm
of their robust power. On a woods walk, I send
mind to breath.
Head erect and arms swinging,
I breathe long, in rhythm
to my run—
spacespadiaphragm drawing belly-fulls
of breath;
spacespahips cycling and thighs striding;
spacespafeet reaching; toes touching down:
spacespaspacespaa
vigorous vector of a tap dance,
spacespaspacespaa
high-inspired soft-boot-shoe. spacespaspacespaMy
body knows, unbeknownst to me, when to rest.
spacespaspacespaspacespaI
pause.
spacespaspacespaThen
again the impulse enters,
spacespaspacespathe
tempo takes a tumult turn. On a woods walk,
my belly blazes,
there the solar storm in globe.
Sun-streaks flash forth
and fire-risings flare.
My abdomen's a molten magnet:
spacespaI
am drawn to match
spacespamy shard of sun
spacespaspacespato the
source that lies beyond,
spacespaspacespaahead— I
quiver with exhilaration:
spacespathe rhythm
of my motion
spacespaspacespaspacespain
recital of my being;
my being
spacespaa trace
of forest tempo;
my motion
spacespain concert
with the forest song. On a woods walk, this knowing comes: spacespapropelling
need not wait upon compulsion.
spacespaI need
not force myself for movement forward,
spacespanor
is my normal state no motion, zero speed. On a woods walk, this knowing
comes: spacespaMy speed's in fact infinite,
spacespaarbitrary alone upon my opening.
On a woods walk, this knowing comes:
I need only yield to mountain energy,
reverberate the forest song.
I yield to life-streams pulsing; they carry me
along. I am adrift and
awash, cut
loose, bounding out of fetters, spirit
un-
shuttered, soul unstop-
pered, time out of mind, mind out
of
time.
|
