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On a woods walk
A walk in autumn woods:
vermillion leaves displayed in flaming valance,
lucent greens and variegated golds—
spacespathe colors commingle,
spacespaprofusion confusing me.
The forest courts me past comprehension.
My sweater is scarlet, my hair auburn.
The boots I wear
spacespaspacespaborrow
the earth's own hue.
Overleaf and underfoot,
I am in kind.
On a woods walk, the forest grows large and
penetrates my skin, seeping in, pouring in, my pores absorbing
spacespaall the fertile forest mysteries.
On a woods walk, the forest grows soft;
the motion inside me glitters and spins,
spacespapressing against my skin,
spacespaits very pressure nearly
spacespavaporizes that film.
Worlds external and the one within:
spacespathis border hardly bars—
spacespaspacespaI
almost permeate the forest,
spacespaspacespaI
am kin.
I pray to nature that she take me:
"Let me melt into these woods;"
and I do,
spacespaand she does.
On a woods walk, I let myself melt,
send mind deep into feet.
Heel down, roll forward, push off with big toe:
spacespaeach roll I celebrate
spacespathe swift down-touch and
fleet off-lift.
I am not in truth walking.
I am turning earth under me, setting her to spin.
spacespaEarth revolves beneath me,
spacespaallows my feet to stroke
her going past.
I am reaching out for earth;
I bring her through, behind me;
reaching out again.
Reach, welcome, guide behind, glide, bid good-bye;
and reach.
My feet move upon the earth
as children making mother-bond connection.
On a woods walk, I send mind through thighs:
spacespathey are willing, strong,
unwearying.
They lift knees and cycle hips
across another boulder,
spacespaup to the next riddle of
rioting roots,
up and over the next laid-down log.
Striding, my thighs settle to the rhythm
of their robust power.
On a woods walk, I send mind to breath.
Head erect and arms swinging,
I breathe long, in rhythm to my run—
spacespadiaphragm drawing belly-fulls
of breath;
spacespahips cycling and thighs striding;
spacespafeet reaching; toes touching
down:
spacespaspacespaa
vigorous vector of a tap dance,
spacespaspacespaa
high-inspired soft-boot-shoe.
spacespaspacespaMy
body knows, unbeknownst to me, when to rest.
spacespaspacespaspacespaI
pause.
spacespaspacespaThen
again the impulse enters,
spacespaspacespathe
tempo takes a tumult turn.
On a woods walk, my belly blazes,
there the solar storm in globe.
Sun-streaks flash forth and fire-risings flare.
My abdomen's a molten magnet:
spacespaI am drawn to match
spacespamy shard of sun
spacespaspacespato
the source that lies beyond,
spacespaspacespaahead—
I quiver with exhilaration:
spacespathe rhythm of my motion
spacespaspacespaspacespain
recital of my being;
my being
spacespaa trace of forest tempo;
my motion
spacespain concert with the forest
song.
On a woods walk, this knowing comes:
spacespapropelling need not wait
upon compulsion.
spacespaI need not force myself for
movement forward,
spacespanor is my normal state no
motion, zero speed.
On a woods walk, this knowing comes:
spacespaMy speed's in fact infinite,
spacespaarbitrary
alone upon my opening.
On a woods walk, this knowing comes:
I need only yield to mountain energy,
reverberate the forest song.
I yield to life-streams pulsing; they carry me along. I am adrift
and
awash, cut
loose, bounding out of fetters, spirit un-
shuttered, soul unstop-
pered, time out of mind, mind out
of
time.
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