until you observe

I sit at the hem

of your skirt — gently touching

the loam at my feet

you were here before

a time I can’t comprehend

logging history

here — a coral reef

hyperbolic — a contrast

to the forest trees

I could walk this path

on ev’ry day of this life

a stroll to your clouds

I see you peeking

from behind this ancient one

with your beams of light

beneath your layers

exists the churning of time

your geology

among fern meadows

bordered with redwoods — the mist

of self—settles in

the breath of the night

ornaments the cold morning

with star-like splendor

glance behind at times

to see what you may have passed

it might be glory

there are these places

that make you realize just how

perfect this all is

some obstacles are

friends to help cross the river

reach to grab their hands

some falls strip the land

of life — a moment of loss

— a trail remembered

in this fern canyon

the walls reach with green fractals

grabbing drops of breath

hyphae balconies

line the fallen ones — these trees

changing state — matter

I see you growing

connected beneath it all

one and yet many

personalities

seem to flourish even here

on the forest floor

a kiss in the light

of an ancient tenderness

lasts through ev'ry morn

we all lean in time

bending to the winds of life

growing towards light

so, I have this hope

that through decomposition

healing will happen

sometimes we just stand

at the edge of a vast cliff

unaware of depths

superposition

exists within you — up — down

until you observe

oh, this cathedral

is all that I need — to pause

and be connected

the most ancient braid

twists the annals of forest

from earth into sky

tentacles sprout and

whisper of what is below

roots among the roots

when light hits your face

breathe out and evaporate

the mists of what was

you are paradox

the contour of the ocean

infinite — changing

radiate this thought

of absolute gratitude

into earth’s fiber

at the edge of thought

let the ocean of stillness

rise upon your shores

such smallness under

this majestic canopy

— primordial light

this lunar star dance

among the waves of this sphere

are perceived — are heard

headlands are a place

to let gentle ocean winds

blow through inner self

november flowers

at the edge of the vast sea

whisper of color

the churning beauty

of overwhelming power

humbles this being

I see your small hand

touch the halo of the moon

gathering the night

textures of autumn

paint colors upon this land

to be remembered

and as the sun sets

the shadow rises upon

your contours — beacon

this contemplation

of earth and sky — coalesced

is ephmeral

Photography created with iPhone, snapseed and distressedFx from the coast and redwoods of California.