Up there in the light
on chimney rock
a vulture as old as the Ozarks
spreads his wings like prayers
He's drawn back an ancient bow
shot us each a new dream
given a stolen morning
meaning
The black boat slides
through the river's gullet
like guiness down the throats
of my companions
It's enough to boast that
both my grandmothers swore
by its nutrition
while I am drunk on this
Drunk on river bliss
already feeling the joy well
up from somewhere cut
deep into karst rock
Shadows cast by trees
or clouds dance in my eyes
no longer peering down
I'm scanning the bluffs
For flowers that the men
don't see but I don't mind
and keep gasping at
floods of blue, blue bells
Splashes of spring seeps
sounding like bells of light
all light and layers
slipping between
Uncountable greens
and I lean into the rise and fall
forgetting that anything
was ever lost
my heart is a fire pink in bloom
and I'm charmed
by these brothers-in-arms
Basking winking turtles
who plop off logs
and paddle away
while I wave
To the river of dreams.
This poem was written after a wonderful day out on the Jacks Fork River which runs beside the Ozark forest where I live. I was accompanied by Neil Rosenberg (videographer extraordinaire) and Stuart Smith whose family owns a beautiful river property called Chimney Rock.
A note on Turtle Medicine:
Turtle symbolizes both new beginnings and endings. It is through the ending of something that allows space for something new to arise. ... There may be a sense of loss or even grief over what has passed and yet it is through the energy of Turtle who is very long lived and thus very wise, that we can come to understand why something did need to leave our lives. Turtle can help lead us to that space where we can finally move on, to let go of what has been, celebrate it for the gifts it gave us and finally to turn and head for a new shore. Turtle people themselves often feel that their life is an endless series of endings and new beginnings, that like the tides, their lives are constantly in flux and they must learn to shift and tack as the current carries them along... Turtle people themselves need time to be quiet, to be still, to allow themselves to think things through and watch for signs through what floats near them in the flotsam and jetsam of life. They get their bearings through looking to see what is around them and through sensing what the waters that carry them are doing. Are the waters calm and clear or is turbulence on the horizon? Either way, the Turtle person will know what to do if they get quiet and still for these folks are often strongly intuitive. Read more here.
In sadder times when Fire Pinks gave me hope, another poem: Unwanted Sacrifice/Fire Pinks.
