Tomorrow Ben would turn three. I've realized for those who have lost loved ones...the pain…
Chiseled mountains,
worn thin and strong, by rivulets of
yesterday’s rain;
speckled rocks beneath our feet, glistening with memories,
earthy and jagged.
Our bodies move in unison with one shadow
to hide the secrets of
Silence, only breathing. And magpies soaring above,
crying.
Prominent red rocks lie contemplative in the distance,
emanating an energy from another time, another place,
where we will remain entwined.
Stenciling, my fingers (charcoal dark and strained)
trace the gentle curves of the ravine,
the dirt relinquishing pain with each touch.
A curtain of sunlight glides across the canyon, unveiling
a world glittering and alive,
pulsating waves of heat,
thick and thirsty with longing.
Ascending, cliffs hang loosely across the trail,
bridges, spanning the time and space between,
turning, he reaches for my hand;
I find comfort in relenting.
We vanish into a canopy of green, darkness
and the richness of the earth,
a soft relief, as our imaginations flirt
with possibility, a hidden sanctuary, where we
fly wingless, carried by the
scent of fallen spruce.
Ageless, we slide down rooted embankments,
two mud splattered bodies guided by the aching roar,
we land stained and pure;
water rushes overhead, violent and sensual,
a pounding pulse to soothe our pain, I slide my arms around his waist
and whisper I love you.
I turn away, guilty and shy, as the mist engulfs us.
* Kyle and I run together on local trails almost every day. We escape for an hour into a world of no judgment, no media, no trauma - just us. We feel far away from the real world, in a land of our own, where we can love and grieve and simply be ourselves. Last Monday, a friend told me about a hidden waterfall on the Intemann Trail. The next day Kyle and I trekked for an hour and a half in search of it. Our journey showed me, once again, the relief that can be found in simply forgiving and loving - loudly, purely and honestly. Isn't that what makes us human? We are imperfect beings, and one of our greatest gifts is the ability to give limitless love to one another. What a wonderful experience....
