Nature’s Promise of Renewal
Bickering and pettiness marked the day prior,
even on such a lovely drive to the coast,
the stresses of the last half year
bequeathing frayed nerves, uncivil tongues.
Lunch in a small town of
water buffalo, tiny oysters, bitter chicories
all culled from nearby farms
fueled conversation and our drive further north.
A mediocre dinner was made better
by an old BYOB Meursault
tucked under the back seat
of the old wagon
for just such a predicament.
-
Brandy and chocolate cookies and chamomile tea
brought to the room
by a mothering waitress
further melted icebergs,
finally puddling into tears
on the composite wood floor.
Swaying to old records
Johnny Mathis, Coltrane in Italy, Talking Heads
spun on a portable
by the light of a gas fireplace
as an orange half moon expends its strength
before collapsing into the ocean
exhausted by the plight of the world below,
leaving behind a trail of stars so bright
I could no longer sleep
for fear of missing their spectacle.
-
First light at ocean’s edge
decked in heavy flannels and hunting boots,
heart lifted and hands full with
steaming green tea
and smoldering green bud,
hands down
my favorite breakfast.
-
With quiet consideration and humility
we wandered into the woods
taking care to keep track of each other
while giving wide berth
to privacy of thought,
to spiritual commune with nature,
to rejuvenate and repair
and realign with gratitude.
The white noise of the Pacific
our audible compass,
baskets soon brimmed with mushrooms
cut at their bases
by an old carbon knife
that travels everywhere
I do.
-
Pigs’ ears and black trumpets
chanterelles and hedgehogs
and yellow foots of all sizes were found
amongst dozens and dozens
of candy caps,
their golden undersides
redolent of thick puddles of warm maple syrup
on a not-too-short short-stack,
hands down
my second favorite breakfast.
-
Caked with mud and pine
and leaves and sticks
and pollen and spiders’ webs,
we’re eventually spit out of the forest
through the mouth of an old fire trail
giggling
tired
arms aching under the weight
of fungi finds,
fortified for the next chapter
until it’s once again necessary
to return to the woods
to avail ourselves
of Nature’s promise
for renewal.
