Invisible Poem: A Meditation on the Mountain

by

This writing was inspired by time I spent this summer at the Big Spring at South Gate Meadow in Mount Shasta, CA. I so love the timelessness of being in nature in this way. I offer this poem as a reminder of that which remains wordless . . . Enjoy!

Photo credit: iStockphoto.com/Varghona

Invisible Poem

Today I sit
and wait.

Pen poised, poem patient.

Bright green moss
merges with smooth stones
in the mountain stream.

Bumblebees hum softly
flower to flower, dip
into crimson orange
of an Indian Paintbrush.

Clouds color a hazy sky
with gradients of gray.

This is the beauty
poems are made of . . .

But not today.

Today I sit
and wait.

Pen poised,
poem patient,
I wonder
if I can ever be
slow enough
to write the present
before it becomes the past.
If I can ever be
that patient.

Pen poised, I sit.

And sit.

Page blank as clouds float.
Page blank as bees drink.
Page blank as moss grows.

It is the truest verse
I have ever
not written.


7-25-14
Jennifer Mathews

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Jennifer Mathews, M.A., is a writer, spiritual cheerleader, and change maker. She currently calls both Bristol, Vermont and Mount Shasta, California home (when she's not traveling elsewhere, that is).

Based on her own exploration of death, grief, joy and optimism, Jen offers life-affirming perspectives and practical tools to support others on their journeys. In her personal and unconventional TEDx Talk, “Death is Inevitable – Grief is Not,” she invites us to break free from the limitations and language of a grieving process and change the way we think about and respond to the death of those we love.

Jen is a founding member and organizer of the Ashland Death Cafe and the Living/Dying Alliance of Southern Oregon. As part of the Community Outreach team of the award-winning film Death Makes Life Possible, she has facilitated conversations on death, dying, and the afterlife in the US, the UK and Ireland.

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Category: Joy & Gratitude

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10 thoughts on “Invisible Poem: A Meditation on the Mountain”

  1. Ahhh…again, I love that I can so clearly hear your voice in your writing. This may sound like an odd request, but may I use this poem with my students? Talking about imagery, repetition, author’s perspective.

    Also teaching them “rich” vocabulary to use with their friends…sycophant was the word of the day yesterday!!!

    Reply

  2. This is just lovely Jennifer. Just lovely.

    I have just returned from a 1-month backpacking trip, solo, on the John Muir Trail in California’s Sierra Nevada. It was exactly as your describe in this poem. Thank you :-)))

    Reply

    • What an endeavor! How wonderful. To know you understand so deeply warms my heart. So much is beyond words out in nature, especially far into the forest land.

      Thanks for taking the time to comment. Enjoy your reentry into the world of humans : )

      Reply