Tag: Outdoors

TURNS, FROM THE PAGE

~ Jnana Hodson ~ Leave a comment

1

once more, flipping a month, a year
another mountain, loon, lighthouse, tulip

markers of days and flowing

history or future encoded

as numerals, this imprecise bank ledger
with moon phases

occasionally with a comfort of knowing I’ve been there
or desire to go
or recollection of encountering what’s pictured

as for next month or next year
no matter how carefree
the intended journey or dreaming
some map or guiding is essential

unless we’re simply floating
and who knows, then

2

still, the clearest water remains a mask
moving, breathing
more than land

with the preponderance of life
on land, atop
in water, below

while the intertidal zones
open to interpretation

3

each tide
a page that turns back on itself

enigmas

a reminder of holy spaces
we enter rarely, if ever

point behind point
without end

 Poem copyright 2016 by Jnana Hodson
To see the full set of seacoast poems, click here.

AIRY FOOTSTEPS

~ Jnana Hodson ~ 1 Comment

What catechist insists
they’re ivory flights
in snowy clouds? Angels exist
in every rainbow color, including scarlet
footsteps on silver ladders
where charity runs in both directions.

Scarlet, as well, fills the Seventh Day
and Seventh Year, when you take rest.
Scarlet, as the sunset or sunrise
or the blood of the lamb. For that matter,

faith demands more than walking on water.

For starters, try treading on air
with or without the ladder.

To continue, click here.
Copyright 2015

LOST AND FOUND

~ Jnana Hodson ~ Leave a comment

Enter the woods. Listen. Breathe.

Sometimes a woodlot will do. Or a grove along running water.

You don’t always need a forest.

Don’t worry about getting lost. Just pay attention to the trail. And the wind. And the light. Maybe a companion or two. Some of them human.

We’ll talk about holy later.

Green Repose 1~*~

For your own copy, click here.

 

WITH THE SUMMIT SOMEWHERE ABOVE

~ Jnana Hodson ~ Leave a comment

Let me confess to struggling with the preposition for the title of this collection.

The initial thought was of being atop a mountain, with its panoramic views. But that runs the danger of suggesting superiority, submission of nature to man’s will, or placing more value on a given result rather than the process of getting there (and back). The climb, I’ll contend, is purification for what lies ahead.

An alternative “on the mountain” allows for the sense of having one’s feet on a trail or even presenting a series somehow “about” the mountain as a set of explanations.

I settled on “under” for its sense of looking upward, in awe or even reverence, as well as the fact that even in mountainous terrain, we live in the valley, with some degree of protection from the elements. Where the streams come down and weave their threaded branches together. Where at times the clouds nestle in. Where the eyes wander from the summit.

Mountain 1~*~

For your own copy, click here.

 

HERE COMES COMPANY

~ Jnana Hodson ~ Leave a comment

Chief Seattle, who appears in the Grilled Salmon section of this poetry collection, is an elusive figure in American history. Whether he pulled a fast one is another question, but he did get a major city named in his honor.

As for his role here?

I enjoy his company. I hope you do, too.

Olympus 1~*~

For your own copy, click here.

NOW THAT WE’RE IN THE THICK OF IT

~ Jnana Hodson ~ 2 Comments

Let me confess, I hadn’t intended to blog about the political conventions, but as events unfolded, I couldn’t resist.

But I am intrigued by the unexpected counterpoint my earlier scheduled postings are providing. There’s more to life, after all, than politics, though they can make daily affairs easier or more cumbersome. So here we are, bouncing between the experiences of camping in the high Cascades or walking around town or tending the garden and the manipulated circus that’s become the new Mistake on the Lake. Maybe the real wilderness adds an essential ballast or balance or at least a breath of fresh air.

I suspect this wild ride’s going to continue quite a while. Let’s try to keep our feet on the ground as we go. And don’t forget to smell the roses or coffee. Keep our priorities straight. Maybe even with a sense of humor.

ANYONE LIKE BEING SPIED ON?

~ Jnana Hodson ~ 6 Comments

The other afternoon we were sitting with friends in our Smoking Garden when a fast-moving object caught my eye. Shaped like a small airplane, it dashed across a span of sky visible between the limbs of a maple overhead and then halted. What we heard sounded like a large mosquito and was about just as welcome.

We presume it carried a camera and was spying on the neighborhood. When we edged outward for a closer look at the offending intruder, it scooted away, only to return several times later. Maybe it didn’t like being observed. For that matter, neither did we.

“If we had a gun, could we shoot it down?”

Well, how far does our airspace extend? And what rights do we have versus theirs? Whoever they are. Potential burglars looking for easy prey? Perverts? Even police?

The fact is, the experience is disconcerting, even before we get to the notorious role of drones in Afghanistan and other military – and not so military – zones.

Who’s responsible for this one? What’s it doing there, above us? And why?

Some of us cherish privacy as an essential American right embedded in the First Amendment. And then there’s that matter of my home is my castle, arising in English Common Law.

Besides, a mechanical drone has none of the freedom birds enjoy. The lower reaches of the sky should belong to natural aviators, not an artificial intruder.

Anyone else care to “chirp” in?