We heard those words a lot at Sunday’s poetry reading, on a ridge looking across canyons and ridge after ridge – our old home gone in lavender distance. Here’s a poem I read at the open mic, written for today’s workshop assignment, “a poem about myself.” Photo’s from one of our nestbox-monitoring hikes above Caples Lake some 20 years ago.
Self Portrait With Tree
There I am – can you see me? in the tree.
That ancient juniper at timberline,
squat and sturdy, rooted deep
to withstand summit storms, split by lightning,
hollowed out as if an invitation, Step inside.
I did, and looked out over the lake
blue as mountain air distilled to water –
lake where I’d throw sticks into icy waves
for my dog to fetch, as we hiked to a higher
lake on wilderness patrol.
There’s a different perspective from inside
this venerable tree, it makes me dizzy
as if the mountain revolved
around this juniper, my heart beating
by the tree’s heart.
~ Taylor Graham
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