In the stillness of the redwood grove morning
We are alone. You sit
quietly, listening to the hush.
I photograph you next to the quote from Shakespeare
“One touch of nature makes the whole world kin.”
The giant trees spread their greenery high above us
On trunks that rise up and up all around us.
We have come here from far away to admire
Their majestic presence enduring here.
These old trees were here before the settler invasion
Now lingering remnants of the great coastal forest.
We breathe in the clean air, speaking few words
Absorbing the calm, forming a memory of this place.
Walking to the nearby river running clear and pure
Walking the path up the creek under all these trees
Standing uncut, towering higher than any we know
Back home, where everything has been cut and cut again.
This place is awesome.
The only sound our footsteps
Softly padding on the deep humus forest floor.
Looking about I see the outlines of strange creatures
Formed by the huge burls on the trunks of some trees.
My imagination animates those figures and I want to hear
What these ancient forest denizens might say to me.
You are so grounded your thoughts do not stray
Seeing these trees for the magnificence they are.
