Sunday, September 24, 2017

Still There

Giant storms and earthquakes and volcanoes spewing ash. Schoolyard bully-style name calling, missiles flying and jets swooping, hydrogen bomb threats... it's a wonder we can sleep at all.

When I woke today from a restless night, the world was still there, so I took a walk in it.


It was pretty cloudy when I started out, but the sunlight slid right through the mist covering the mountains.





My phone camera did its best to capture the emerging light.



Beany, dirty face and all, kept a careful eye on me, 


while Weetzie watched the great blue heron that accompanied us, up ahead and just out of camera range. 


Farm workers have picked truckload after truckload of green chiles from these fields. Now they wait for the last ones to turn red for the red chile harvest.



I know the farmers rightly dislike the field bindweed, but its flowers are beautiful among the red chiles. I saw some tomatillos growing in among the plants, too. 


I need to stop watching the news and take my cues from nature. 

Here is Arthur Symons' poem, In the Wood of Finvara, first published in 1896. Although my heron is no fairy bird, and Symons speaks of "sea and sea" and fairy woods and not of the desert and its irrigated valleys, he knows my heart.


I have grown tired of sorrow and human tears;

Life is a dream in the night, a fear among fears,

A naked runner lost in a storm of spears.

I have grown tired of rapture and love's desire;

Love is a flaming heart, and its flames aspire
         
Till they cloud the soul in the smoke of a windy fire.

  
I would wash the dust of the world in a soft green flood;

Here between sea and sea, in the fairy wood,

I have found a delicate, wave-green solitude.

  
Here, in the fairy wood, between sea and sea,
  
I have heard the song of a fairy bird in a tree,

And the peace that is not in the world has flown to me.

5 comments:

Mary Hulser said...

Just got back from my morning walk in the "city". What a beautiful day!!

Nan said...

Lovely poem, and beautiful pictures! I don't watch or listen to the news.

Margie's Musings said...

It's always good to read your blog, Clair

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

Getting out in nature is how my spirit heals. And we certainly all need it now for the reasons that you -- and the lovely poem -- tell us.

Must admit that it felt a bit like the end of our world a couple of weeks ago. When we had terribly smoky air here in Oregon from all the wildfires .... and at the same time watched the internet as a hurricane hit the Florida city where we winter ... and where nothing had changed in Washington DC (the same old nightmare)... and I couldn't even go out for a walk because of the aforementioned smoke.... But we survived Irma and the rain has cleared the air out here in Oregon. So two out of three crises averted. And there's not much we can do about the third.

Mrs Shoes said...

Yes. If we ignore politics & vile politicians, it is still a beautiful world.