Not awake yet
shuffling through
the sludge of sleep,
walking and talking
until
movement shook me
gently awake
dregs of sleep drifting
like the heat of the day
settling into the trees
as the sun slips
down and down
to the horizon
painting the land in
deep yellows and golds.
With the soft breath
of a cooling wind,
I walk on.
“Rise up nimbly and go on your strange journey.”
~ Rumi
 |
| Vancouver May 2015 |
Walking lets me stay
under the broad sky
cloudy or clear.
Walking lets me feel
the rain on my face,
a snow flake on my nose,
the wind combing my hair
Walking lets me feel
the world of nature all around
whether city or on the land.
Walking lets me move a body
that is part of nature
stiffened with the decades
but still walks a good clip
walking has been my life
from morn til night
in my home or in the world
“Above all do not lose your desire to walk: every day I walk myself
into a state of well-being and walk away from every illness;”
~ Søren Kierkegaard
A wandering way
to far away lands
leaves me breathless
watching myself
walking roads and trails.
In my imaginings,
they are full of
story and history,
friends and neighbours,
the ghosts of ancestors
to accompany this traveler
until my eyes are opened
to the comforts of home.
“You must give everything to make your life as beautiful as
the dreams that dance in your imagination.”
~ Roman Payne, novelist and poet
Walking tells me I am alive.
To know it as a gift makes it
all the more precious.
Stiffening with age and a crooked back,
walking asks me to focus,
to never stop walking.
Each day, I am given the gift of walking
tied with ribbons of muscle and sinew
to be oiled and polished with stretch and bend
To breathe the air; to smell the rain
To feel the sun on my face
To feel the wind in my hair.
To know where my feet are planted
To feel the strength in my legs
To stride out with purpose
Walking tells me I am alive.
To know it as a gift makes it
all the more precious.
“To walk like a person who will never forget the gift of walking.”
~ Andrea Gibson, poet
(Aug13, 1975 ~ July 14, 2025)
Today is for walking
under the sun
Today is for wind
tousling my hair
Today is for
being independent
Today is for
chocolate ice cream
Today is for
growing and learning
Today is for joy.
Today is for more
”Don’t let yesterday use up too much of today.”
~ Will Rogers, actor
(Nov 04,1879 ~Aug 15, 1935)
