Always for most of my life now
I am in the mountains in summer
to hike up and down
steep slopes, wade blue-green rivers
avoid encounters with grizzlies
maneuver snowfields, sleep
under the stars. Fill my days
and nights with clean air, breathe
deep and long. Remember
who I am. The girl who wandered
over the West to become wild. To romp
through meadows full of bluebells
and fields of lavender lupine
laugh in the full moonlight
drink cold water from glacial streams
and gaze at far grass ridges
while lightning illuminates the sky
electrifying my body.
Always for most of my life now
I am in the mountains in summer
to stare at exquisite peaks
and spacious valleys
watch bluebirds land on alder bushes
smell the rich scent of the earth
after a cloudburst. Taste
the pleasant flavor of rain
on my tongue. Touch
the soft lime-green tendrils of a larch
sway in a cool mountain breeze
implore the odds not to cascade down
through rocky ledges melting
ancient glaciers
but to remain unchanged
and stoically weather all things
as time passes
and the world grows rich
on the threat of death
with grace, with tenderness
with love.
Enjoy the passage of time.
Sharon
© 2023. Sharon Kreider. All Rights Reserved
