Beau Chien Blanc

The dog brought back a forest I never knew
I never smelled it till she ran-off
And then brought it back for us
In the moment she arrived the forest changed
Gone was the sun and soft evening light
Lost were the delicate cedar fronds
My senses were fully given to the dog
I searched her eyes to understand
The prize she found in this smell
That she had gleefully rolled out
Then proudly cloaked herself with
Our understandings of this gift
Drifted so very far apart
Gone was the forest I brought in my dreams
Arrived was that which I never expected
Now my mind bathes dogs
As I stand beside my own awareness
And the birds fly noisy above

Tree Branch

I stood
In a forest
On a quiet day
Nothing moved
                                      Leaves and needles could easily speak
Above the
Stillness
Of silence
Then I heard a large branch fall                                                
Far away maybe
I couldn't tell
Nothing moved
It frightened me
It cautioned me
Hold your dreams
It reminded me
I am vulnerable
As every moment
Unveils its secret

Summer Road

I drove a road I did not know
A summer road through the forest
On a hot day with a good car
And a deep companion
The road was two bare tracks
With grass from edge to edge
The trees were tall and mature
The forest seemed to respect the road
And let it rest smooth and even
Over its steep belly above an ocean

After an hour we reached
A narrowing
A place where alder
Found a footing near the road
Crimping it too tight with their branches
For the car to pass
Stepping out with the dogs
We walked through the narrowing
It wasn’t that far but we were simplified
On the other side
The car was left behind
We walked on through the silent forest
Slowly starting to hear its voice
Under the hot day but within
The cool shadowed arms of its trees
It was pleasant and cool and gentle

The road widened again in the wild forest
It seemed to celebrate our visit
A single dried bear scat
Full with salmon berry seeds
Told its own story of this place
The bear had walked on
After salmon berries were gone
Leaving this place to us
We turned back when our legs got tired
Accepting that this unknown place
Was our journey and our destination
Was simply gratitude

Knowing

I took you to the river
In my thoughts today
It was so quiet standing there
Listening inside and outside
Needing nothing

I remembered you heard
The leaves breathe once
So I looked at them
Round and silent beads
From last nights rain
Perfect little spheres
All different sizes and colors
Resting scattered crumbs
On the bright young faces
Of wild roses and their leaves

The roses were beautiful
But I couldn’t hear them breathe
A gentle knowing spun me
And drew my eyes far away
To a place on the river
Clean on its current
Where I watched the salmon crest
Breaking the water
Without surprise
Just where my eyes waited

A gentle whisper smiled
We are all known
In our own way
To different parts
Of this world

Silent Sky

I am in joy with your silence
These are not small mountains to move
Yet they will move on their own
Even if we don't watch them
They will pretend we can will them
Just be happy as every bird
in the sky has its own space
and Mountains will go
Where they go

Seasons

Seasons flow from the ground
Drawn from the earth by the sun
To whisper at flowers and fallen leaves
To sing with love in the wind
A soft but urgent knowing
Like an ant’s spent wings
Left behind
At the first light touch of a branch
Or the first heard whisper
Of a new season
As a flower unfolds
Or a leaf lets go
That moment of eternity
Drops its wings forever