I am participating in my ninth Slice of Life Story Challenge run by the team behind the Two Writing Teachers website. We are challenged to write a blog post a day throughout the month of March.
I couldn't help myself. I would tuck my phone away in my coat pocket, only to pull it out minutes later to capture another detail along the trail.
Striations at the base of the tree...stretch marks from growing up and out?
Spring peeking out from under autumn.
More spiraling, serpentine vines, a green umbilical cord from Mother Earth to Father Sky.
I so wanted to look inside...but was afraid of disturbing an unseen resident.
Flappy fungi, lettuce leaves of the forest.
Sometimes we bend AND break, yes? There are some wounds that will never heal...
The end of the trail and return of rain brought a renewed focus on writing and reading, enjoying the freshly washed air through the screened window at the foot of my bed.
There is something about a handle-less mug of hot tea. It forces one's hands to cup around the warmth, lets it seep through palms and wrists, soothing joints that are hinting at arthritic stiffness.
More on Monday to follow....
This is a picture book poem.
ReplyDeleteAnd I love handless mugs filled with tea. I think I'll go refill mine.
Thank you, Julieanne--each of these images could be a story detail in and of themselves. Maybe for next year's Slices...and yes, I may just have to invest in some handle-less mugs for home!
DeleteI love walking the trail w/ you. I need these signs of spring. It as the forest hugging you the way you cup the mug. Peace.
ReplyDeleteOh, Glenda, that was exactly it--forest hugging, though I called it forest bathing--shinrin-yoku-- for my Japan-living daughter. I'm glad you are enjoying the trail alongside me.
DeleteNature, tea, writing - this sure fills your cup. I am thankful you shred this with us.
ReplyDeleteTerje, I came back so much more relaxed and ready to handle the rest of the school year!
DeleteAhhh...thank you for taking us along on this hike! My fave: "...serpentine vines, a green umbilical cord from Mother Earth to Father Sky." I love it!
ReplyDeleteAlice, that line didn't even come to me until after I went back and looked at the pictures...and then that jumped out. (I must confess, I had to look up the moniker for Sky to double check that I had it right...).
DeleteI am longing for such a retreat! This is fabulous: "More spiraling, serpentine vines, a green umbilical cord from Mother Earth to Father Sky." I wonder what little unseen resident may have been hiding... cannot blame you for not looking in that log. Love your wordplay, your keen eye, your poetic mind, your truths ("there are some wounds that will never heal"). I come away thoughtful but restored.
ReplyDeleteFran, if I could find a way to combine all my Getaway posts without making them ungainly long, I would, so the pictures that contrast would jump out; there's a bent, unbroken tree in the next round. As for log residents, let's just say I was happy for the cool, gray weather that keeps snakes a bit more subdued. Was not about to find one's home! I so treasure your visits to my Slices!
DeleteUmbilical cords and handle-less cups of hot liquids - I am WITH YOU! You have inspired me to look more closely at my surroundings and plan a trip to nature ASAP. My family NEEDS this!! So, so lovely. All of your captures just stunning. XX
ReplyDeleteNawal, check out getaway.house ; there may be sites near you. My husband and I are planning another as a couple again soon, in a different location. This may be my new quarterly indulgence, as an act of extreme self-care!
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