those who observed me while i was dormant
marveled at my majesty
unaware of the volatility that i barely kept contained

i was roped off, labeled with a tidy wooden sign that told me and others
what i was
a stoic monument and stable mountain

while at my core i seethed, i did my best to be what i needed to be in order to be witnessed

inevitably i erupted, frightening the gathered onlookers with a blazing rain of lava and a suffocating cloud of ash
the sky grew dark and it felt like the end of the world
but i needed to scream and i didn't mean to hurt anyone

i've had far fewer visitors since that day
i was fenced off, labeled with a rusting metal sign that told me and others what i was
a volcanic monster and volatile menace

i wonder
as i quietly crumble into the sea
if i will be remembered by humanity
and if so
will it be as the mountain
or the monster?

in the end
i think i would prefer to be forgotten

Wind whistles through trees
Blowing pebbles through meadows
And ruffling fur.

As stars cast soft light
and twilight fades into night
the forest sleeps.

Cliffs tower above
Stars paint the sky with dancing light
As the young doe sleeps.

Matchsticks used and burned to black
Stand amid their brethren tall
Through Mount and Vale
Their limbs compete
To reach into Heaven's seat

Merced flows and bubbles past
Bird and beast both heed the call
From Bridal Veil
Is river born
To reach for the Distant Shore

Stare in awe! El Capitan,
Mighty Chief, above them all
The peak unveils
Yosemite
In its natural majesty

I craved
the solitude
and finally feel
safe
alone in the dark woods

and now I see
bright green moss,
everywhere,
on the bark of the trees

And suddenly I know:
I've been set free!

walking
dazed by the noise of my noisy mind
I forget -
there always is a silent background

Of squirrels
climbing in spirals

Of water,
slow
down a cliff

Of roots
embracing the earth

How is it,
that one wants Forever?

Lost on the ***** slabs

of Tenaya Peak,

we sang at bears in the moonlight.

The prusik came in handy in the end,

and the two sixty-metres ropes.



Then,

the lake saved us;

our lips too dry to smile.

In retrospect,

the nicest part
of that whole afternoon—

what with that summer sunlight,
cascading down onto the sward

where you and I
sat in the deep shade of a noble oak tree—

the nicest part
of that whole afternoon—

what with that dignified roar from Yosemite Falls
resounding throughout the valley

and those songbirds chirping out a perfect counterpoint
in the immediate foreground,

the nicest part
of that whole afternoon—

what with the dry dirt of that flawlessly unkempt
softball field warming our bare toes,

and those children playing—
their shadows ever lengthening—
in that eternal Eden…

In retrospect,

the nicest part
of that

entire

afternoon

was getting to spend it
with you.

Black feathers signal an arrival
What seemed like endless roads
Carved rugged into the Earth
Beady eyes welcome this moment

Low valley streams, white rapids
Serenely sinister silence of the woods
Two feet, four paws just a blur
Grounded only by a painted beauty

Sun sets, fire rises, that smokey cinder
Eating,  laughing, living so free
Stars explode through the tree tops
Night summons an absolute darkness

Blood red dawn, a shadow of the day
Walking now, footsteps, running water
Collecting the goodbyes and good times
Naturally black feathers occupy the vacancy