This cannot continue for too long
An ending shall develop
To which all will lapse from
And then reborn
Like Spring of an ancient rhythm
Moment in time
Reflecting on the sweet sound
Of a trickling creek
Joined by two trails
That are worn by wild game.
Tag: creek
Ode to Ruu, A Good Dog (day 2801)
I don’t want to forget you, my little man
Though I know time will ease
What harsh corners left your wake.
I see your bounce,
Your lovely heart,
Your ever curious nudge
Jumping at my dangling hand
Across the yard in little chatter
As day awakes and starts again.
Your nose was really ever curious,
I watched you learn it’s newness
Opening for you an abundance
Across the fields you searched.
Our forest was quiet this morning
Moreso than ever before
No Ruu to keep me safe
From distant thumping of a small grouse
Crashing as you made your way
From one to another I could not see.
The dam I use to cross the creek
I remember the first time
You fought your fear and jumped with me!
How excited you were from thenceforth
To cross across and back again,
You’d run around and back and forth
Bounding with the joy of life.
Your presence brought us all alive,
Not a feat to misunderstand,
For since the day we found each other
The farm was changed:
Day’s toil was full of a scamp
Day’s end was full of a laughs
Day’s start was full of curious.
And today, Ruu, I miss all of you
For it was you who was so true
And tomorrow, I’ll miss you then
For your work was just beginning
We had plans for which you were the Keystone,
Friends for which you were the leader,
In short, a homestead
For which you were the center.
Goodbye dear Ruunikakonikakovski
You live in my heart
Though you are now free.
Wild (day 2500)
A creek trickles its way South
Along the base of Willow Ridge
Leading each wild animal
To fields beyond.
My eyes catch a reflection
Sun hitting a circling eagle
Finding its meal
A superior huntsman.
Mid summer, so no cool breeze here
But running water keeps calm
All the nerves alerted
To sounds of the wild.
Moon at Midnight – Part XXXXXXIII (day 2037)
The first night we stayed up with our fire
Sitting close to each other
Wrapped in our blankets
Willow sang me some songs
Chanting and singing in pikanii
Sometimes I would pick up on the words
Words I knew
And I would join her
And we sang to the little sliver of a moon
That came out and shared itself with us.
We were woken up by our horse
Who came over and started to lick our faces
Quite an interesting way to be woken
But it worked,
And before I knew it
Willow had some warm nettle tea
Ready for us to sip on
As we warmed our bodies
From the evening chills.
I walked over to the cold creek running close
And washed myself
Invigorating my life force at the same time
By the time I got back
Willow had had some roots she had gathered
Which she gave me and said: “Eat this,”
And some meat
We ate silently
I told her I loved her singing last night
She smiled and told me she was asking the gods
For a safe passage on our journey.
By the time I slung the blankets back onto the horse
Willow was ready to go
And we began walking West
Down the spine of the valley
And up the far side,
When we came to the peak
We looked out
And it took both of our breaths away from us.
What we saw was not the great plains Buffalo
But a massive herd of Elk
Grazing and minding their own
Very leisurely
We sat there at the peak
For quite a while
Snacking on leftover meat
From breakfast
Just watching the massive herd
It was pure delight to our eyes.
Moon at Midnight – Part VI (day 1980)
(part V)
As my footsteps changed slope from uphill to downhill
I crested into a new valley
It was a particularly notable valley cresting
For the view I was afforded stretched from tip to bow
At the far end I could see a tail of smoke rising steady
Hovering for some time at the cloud line
Making its ever looming presence felt
As I looked down and stepped between the pebbles
Dodging in and out of the single-path trail I had been following.
My memory floated back to a woman I once had known
A woman whose smile touched the very essence of a man
Changing him instantly to a friend, forever
I had last seen her walking out of the tack store
In preparation to depart with a fresh pack of jerky
And enough rice to keep me a while,
She had asked where I was off to
And I told her what had honestly come to mind
I shared with her my dream of this land
With leaves the size of a horses head
With trees that bled sugar and turned as red as wine
She looked at me and shaked her head
Scolding that all us men ever want is our devil juice
I explained to her it wasn’t so,
She smiled and knew she was scolding the wrong man
I asked her if she would like to join me
An honest man on an honest journey
To a land beyond, to the East
But she had only replied in jest
Saying: “Honey, I’ve got too many mouths to feed.”
I started at a cracking branch
To my left, not 7 meters away,
I looked and staring back at me
Was a moose, hovering way above my head
He was looking straight at me
Antlers standing so tall and proud
Chewing on a tuft of a shrub
That hung down from the left side of his mouth
He snorted softly as he stared at me
Demanding I respect his space
I nodded back, gave a grunt
And quickly scanned the nearby forest
For any signs of a calf around.
My footstep didn’t stop
Rather, they kept along the trail I went
My heart beating loudly in my cool breath
The words of many an elder echoed in my mind:
“Moose are more aggressive then bears.”
I instinctively touched the blade
That rested at my hip
Foolish to think that such a weapon
Could disengage such a large beast so strong
I couldn’t feel the beast charging
Though I looked to check just in case.
I didn’t relax until I was over the next bend
Which didn’t take long to get
The familiar sound of a creek returned to my ears
No longer wise words warning and uncontrolled heartbeat
Echoing through my every breath
I softly observed the old man’s beard
Growing thicker as I descended into the valley below
Moss crawling higher up trunks of the silent giants
Experienced woods folk always say
That the birds will all be silent when there’s a predator around
So the light whistling of the forest’s inhabitants
The unique call of a raven
Calmed my senses once again.
When I reached a small opening
I dipped my hands in and splashed the fresh creek’s water
To my face, to wash the cold sweat that had gathered
I recognized bear droppings
A short distance from where I sat to rest
Looking at least a week old now
No danger for me, at least for the present
But a sign that they are around
And perhaps some tasty berries, too.
Shack in the Mountains (day 1723)
Left my heart up in the mountains
I’ll need a shovel to get it back
One too many lonely days
Without a warm gunnysack.
Had a song bird on my deck
Whistling a tune I’d never heard
Sent for a fine six string guitar
Came back with an ol’ banjo.
Went off in the meadow with my lover
She had on a little backpack
Got stuck in a swamp with little booties on
Came out with her bare feet black.
Oh, troubles around every corner
Whether you’re looking back or not
Creek still runs, dog still laps
And I’ve gone back to my lonely shack.
OK (day 1630)
Push me now.
Ok.
Hug me like I’ve been wisdom
At a town hall meeting
In a critical assembly.
Let me fall into icy cold waters
Of a running, Northern creek
As crystals form delicately
On outstretched branches of trees.
Ok.
We are one.