The great slopping barrier that
once held back the settlers
is now vanquished
but not tamed,
and still holds its mystery
in the depth of its
wooden rocky
and rugged soul.
Its wild and unending
stretches of trees, scarred hills,
green valleys and sheer drops
is painted over with a
misty blue hue and filled with
intimate sketches of water falls
and natural sculptures
wrought by the force
of nature’s delicate hands.
The camera cannot capture
in its scope the panorama
of this place that is many places,
now dotted with towns and houses
all encased in its faraway beauty
and subject to its moods
that change with the
drift of the seasons
and the circumspect mist.
In the distance the city fog and traffic
create their own logic of living,
but here the trees and the creatures,
the rivers and the lakes,
filled with birds and fish,
link humanity and environment
in one grand cohesive
breathing being.
The mountains look downhill
across the valley to the city
and smile with a blue misty grin,
and invite all who would see
this ancient steady gaze
to come and feel
the presence of this place again.
6/12/2016