Cracks of thunder in the night –
storm warning, or is all about to fall?
Alarmed, we quake before you,
knowing our span is fragile.
Time is a construct; tomorrow will tell.
Now, here at the end of the valley,
I am nestled in nature’s clasp.
All is a world away and wonder-full.
Awestruck at an ungodly hour,
my love is tremulous.
Birds sing my hymns of praise.
On this morning I hike in delight,
noticing dewdrops on cobwebs,
and a tender fern’s shy shiver
when the breeze bends a stem.
Snow sheens the brow of a ridge,
while sweat baptises my own.
Like a censer in a cathedral,
riverside mist drifts its wintry breath,
wafting among vaulted trees.
The primeval forest absorbs –
surrounds me in its embrace.
As nature's observant worshiper,
I’ve come to know my place
in this heartland wilderness.
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