I wrote this poem after a spiritual nature hike in Truckee. Really very touching and I have always loved nature. I find it healing.
Oneness,
Twenty souls,
Walking down
a trail.
Meeting Mother Earth,
She teaches us that
we all have a connection
an obligation
for touching another,
for compassion.
We throw a ball
of yarn.
We can feel the tug
of the yarn-anger-
happiness. We can
feel others emotions and
our tugging affects
all the others in the group.
We let things go, forgive,
open up on this trail.
We are on to a performance,
Spanish guitar by a Peruvian
and a Brazilian.
It is so gorgeous a sound
it almost makes me cry.
It brings me back to Sevilla
and flamenco, the incredible
rhythm. It is a gorgeous setting
for a concert, amidst the trees
and flora and fauna.
We walk again, we wander by
a stream that reminds me of
my Dad’s love of nature.
We are one still, even though
he’s been gone these 25 years.
I can feel it, the pull of nature
for healing and renewal.
We chant all with our favorite
carefully chosen pods-
clarity, new beginnings,
openness, and kindness.
We place them in a mandala,
our own personal touch to
an art exhibit. We move on,
to a tree expert. She is
quite the expert, telling us
of how the trees feed each
other-even different
species and how they feed us
too. She has made us
a round ball that we each
pick the shape and color of
to remind us of kindness,
compassion and of our tree today,
and the happiness it brought.
on to a performance of a violin
and a guitarist singing what
sounds like Irish folk songs.
The man’s voice is incredible
the beauty of it overwhelms me.
Onto a poet-a rapper, an environmentalist,
that talks of passing our world on
to the next generation, of less
materialism and more just being.
The three of us cry, knowing that
the next generation is coming.
We tell the man afterwards, how much
he touched us, that the new generation
for us is truly on it’s way and yes we
want to leave the world a better place
for our first grandchild. His performance
and intense almost guttural, we will
remember it always.
Be mindful, be green, quit doing
and becoming and just be.
Next a man who plays sitar
from Iran. He has paid a great
cost to be here-estrangement from
his country, to play his music.
It is beautiful, haunting, sad and serious.
My husband has a vision of a girl
running in front of a boy, and wonder
what is all means in the greater scheme
of things. Next are dancers amidst
the trees and rocks. Dancing all around
the forest to a powerful beat of the drum.
The dancers represent the animals,
that we are all one and connected to this
beautiful, fruitful earth.
We add our art to a huge rock-
hot and cold, fire and ice,
blue and orange themes and then
we move one. Acknowledging
the different areas of our personalities
and inner workings. We wander more
and come upon a beautiful golden
fairy singing about being one,
that love will triumph over all,
remember kindness and compassion.
Her beautiful voice I will always remember-
be love, spread love almost Teilhardian.
We are moving towards that
most perfect love-someday it will
envelope all of us.
We wander more, enjoying the
crackle of pine needles, below our
feet, taking in the trees and rocks,
and all the sounds of nature.
We come upon a harpist-a jazz
harpist who is supplying music to four
different dancers-earth, wind, fire
and water. Beautiful flowing dresses
in white, seem to dance along with them.
They all join together and dance
and then we dance along too.
We are one with nature and with
each other.
Julie Roberts
09/16/2017
Julie's Poetry 