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