Here is a photo from a walk the other morning through a frosty, early Spring wood. I startled deer. The app on my phone recorded the song of scores of birds. Why do we resonate so much to this environment? Perhaps this poem (again from ‘Reaching for mercy’) by Mehrin Almassi might give some clues…
Ever-Listening, by Mehrin Almassi
The majestic called to me today, in the form of an old tree stump
As I gazed on it, all my childlike instincts set in
I knew I had to obey its guidance or I would be left with a most unsettling sense
It has happened before that I have ignored the bidding of the ancient but
doing so has caused distress so I have learned better to follow
Up and up I progressed towards to its muted top. Careful to keep my
footing as the core beckoned
Slowly then I rose to be standing on my feet in the very midst of the elder
planted deep below
A mingling of sensations came -
defiant fear, a rush of adrenaline, a centring connection with all that is
My place in the scheme of things momentarily clear
I was a child of earth, an extention of each life force, just one of the
countless number, reliant on its providence
In readiness now I linger, awaiting the next word...
