I was walking, first field–
verdant, moist , glorious
carpet of greens,
and the woods edged closer,
with a beckoning trail,
and then the floor was pine needles,
punctuated with wily
old roots in no
pattern whatsoever.
Sky was rarified blue, bluer,
an artist’s glad canvas,
background perfection to
the leaves! Yellow and orange,
rusty brown, green,
pure gold, shimmering
against that ocean of sky.
A gradual descent
along the acceptably
man-made path ,
and then a turn revealed
more signs of us:
piles of stones and bits
of writing paper, a charm,
all left like an offering
atop a stump.
How interesting, humankind.
That we feel a need to sign everything,
as if
he, she, they, we
were in any way contributing artists,
as if we are desperate
to make ourselves known,
to say, in some small or grander way,
I am here.
I was here.
How is it that the leaves of oak and maple,
the chipmunks, the needles of pine,
are so willing to be here and then go,
in their time,
but we
who fancy ourselves smarter, more capable,
have so much difficulty
letting go?
–Melinda Coppola
Thank you, Melinda! Your writing is always a gift, and especially so today…. as it’s been a day of a slump in my emotional state, preoccupied with wondering if I am doing enough, enough that is important… and pondering your question catches my attention and makes me laugh at myself a bit.. the wisdom of nature to just be!
Thank you, Marion, for reading. And yes, you are already doing enough, you are already enough, exactly as you are, and always. It could be no other way.