Walking Shoes
Moccasins Take a Walk
Tall old-growth Douglas Fir tower
over us
a canopy six hundred years old filters
warm sunlight
Where once did moccasins walk
in meadows
where pine cones dropped
sprouting seeds
spreading roots that nature nourishes
over time
into this majestic timber standing
as we remember
that times pass and our moment waits
not at all
then, as now, the raspberries sparkle red
of berries
and darting here and there dragonfly dances,
daring us
to hold onto this living history and imagine
a world
in all its differences, made glorious and nurtured
by us
a people of one planet, together standing,
honoring
all that has passed so we a better world create
as over us
Tall old-growth Douglas Fir tower.
Every time I stand beneath the old-growth forests, I am in awe of all that has passed as these pillars of history grew, watching the animals and people pass, and always nurturing the area around them.
These Douglas Fir of Rockport State Park, WA sprouted just as the Gutenberg Press was invented, an invention that changed the way the world learns. How will we affect the world? Could we do better? Every trip into nature, whether a walk around the block or a hike on the trails in a park reminds me of the beauty we need to preserve — in nature and in ourselves. We can nurture the area around us, connect with the people in our communities and those in charge of our parks and build our communities by helping our parks and natural areas.
Want to know where old growth forests exist in your area? Check out this Wikipedia article in locations. For more information about the parks in the North Cascade National Park, visit NCNP website and wikipedia. And check out the trails in Rockport State Park.
And as you think about history, remember that the only people older than Grandfather Tree are Grandfather Rock.
And that’s another story in the meadow where
moccasins
take a walk.
This post is part of the 2018 Summer #WriteOut in places, parks, poetry, and doodles with #Clmooc. Learn more at CLmooc blog and National Writing Project / National Park Service WriteOut
Walking Shoes for July 18
Photos and Poetry by Sheri Edwards
Photos: A Remix — Walking Shoes on Flickr
Mocassin
Rockport State Park, WA
Salish Language [Colville]