Lying in the grass

Is all this now ... illusory flowers,
Fuzzy colours of the bright summer meadow,
Soft blue stretches of heaven, some bee song,
Is all this now really a god’s
Groaning dreaming,
Some unconscious power’s crying for release?
The far-off line of mountains,
Fine and bold resting in the blue,
Is that too just a cramp,
Just a mad tension in seething nature,
Just grief, just pain, just a pointless testing,
Never resting, never in joyful movement?
Oh, no! Release me now, you monstrous dream
Of the world’s strain!
A midges’ dance in evening light rocks you,
And a bird’s cry rocks you,
A breath of wind cools my forehead
With affection.
Release me now, you primal human grief!
Let all be pain,
Yes, let all be strain and shadows -
But not this one sweet hour of life in the sunshine,
And not the scent of red clover,
And not the soft feeling of well-being
Deep within my soul.

Hermann Hesse, 1913 (translated by Scholar by the River)

Growing up in the forest

The pleasure of work
that produces the things we need.
The joy of the skill
of our hands and of tools well-made.
The intricate knowledge
of complex manual tasks
that look quite simple when
you master methods and risks.

Learning about plant and animal life,
the actions of people, the impact of weather.
Caring well for the habitat of each creature,
the plants, the soil and the water itself.
Living by slow cycles of growth and decay,
planning for 10,000 years, not just a day.

... moist green dark
changing
light shade
old young
growing dying
intricate web
constantly renewing ...

But after much experience and reflection outside,
he came to understand that all too many people in power
in the government and universities
carry a prejudice against the natural world -
and also against the past,
against history.

(for Gary Snyder)

Hidden harvest moons

No moon to see yet!
Wind rustling the long grasses
Happy gathering

               *

Drinking lemon tea
Dark night and a hidden moon
But still purity!

It is the same everywhere ...

1. 

Take me back
before the Picts
to the Pre-Celtic Dreamtime
before "mine" and "yours"
or the forging of swords
when there was no boundary
between life and death.

2.

Then came the Celtic warriors
thirty thousand tribesmen down from the hills
bloodied but unbowed
standing up to the might
of the whole Roman Empire.

In Swordwielder's words:
"the most distant dwellers upon the earth
the last of the free".

3.

And bear in mind
that Columba
was not trying
to get to the
edge of somewhere.

But crossing from
Donegal to Dalriada
he stopped halfway
at dead centre
making Iona
the very heart
of the Celtic Church.

4.

At the Hill of the Angels

Yes indeed, Colum Cille
stood here too, arms outstretched
and bathed in golden light.

Now I sit here
fingers downstretched
feeling the warm support
of Mother Earth
embracing the bright space
of Father Sky
and know it is the same
everywhere.

Another 30 Days Wild-ish

01

A cold, damp start 

good for the slugs and snails.

02

On a cold, dark night 

vague impressions of a forgotten summer.

03

Half-term 

observing the Wild 

through mist and double-glazing.

04

Love-in-the-mist, purple wisteria:

direct action and mutual aid 

enjoyed in ordinary trees and gardens.

05

Basho by the roadside 

Bukowski by the bedside:

each wild in his own way.

06

Swifts gliding high 

in the Himalayan-blue sky.

07

Storms forecast, darkening sky 

planes thunder overhead.

08

09

Bees prowling among the flowerheads 

a heron swoops across the pond, but circles off.

10

11

Floating after swimming 

water soft and supportive all around.

12

The Great White Wonder 

playing fast and loose with his own classics:

then in comes my wild one
with her own song.

13

I love the landscape, because it is so sincere.

It never cheats me.

It never jests.

It is cheerfully, musically earnest.

I lie and rely on the earth.

Thoreau

14

Into the forest of Johann Sebastian Bach.

15

Cedars at the mercy of wind

Are often very much troubled,

Often they are overthrown.

Set your ideas in front of God,

To hostile barking pay no heed:

That’s not what his word lays down.

BWV 150

16

The scent of some flowers 

is just a change in the air.

Today’s soundtrack is Fallen Angels 

and the Basement Tapes.

17

18

Wandering in the Edgelands:

development there is filling in 

but also opening up.

19

Tonight’s damp air has the softness of water
like swimming

but the swifts just keep on darting around up there.

20

Strawberry Moon behind those purple clouds:

it’s peeped out once to remind me I’d forgotten it was there.

The later, Full Moon Rising: beyond words 

apparently not noticed by many of the busy passers-by.

21

The strong smell of elderflower 

a blackbird keeping an eye on his mate

and in the background Uncle Bob singing ‘it had to be you’.

22

Taking in the colour, shape and markings of a leaf 

looking up and seeing the seedpods down beneath

then further into the depths of the tree:

breath-taking complexity of a great city.

23

And then the heavens opened
how wild will the voters be?

24

At least the weather’s cleared 

cool, but with sunny spells
the calm after the storm, or before it?

25

How to deal with slugs and snails 

a hail storm two inches deep
then Mozart’s Requiem to thunderous applause.

26

What turmoil in the garden 

wreckage everywhere
we’ll have to wait to see what Mother Earth can do.

27

So very cold this afternoon 

a most unpleasant month of June.

28

What’s it like out there?

29

Every place is a gateway 

to the beyond within your mind.

30

Just a few minutes of hail
I’ll be clearing up for weeks.

Untitled

Approaching the Chinese:
Nature sustains itself
without my words.

North West Passage

1

Escaping

through the cracks

putting your

body and

mind in a

position

“beyond”

then the way

of life to

sustain that

will emerge

around you.

2

My teacher

used to say

“Don’t think I

know

everything …

I’m just a

bit further

along the way …

and we’re not

going anywhere!”

down

in/out

to

ordinary

mind.

3

He stepped through the curtain

and was     gone

no longer held by

guilt, shame,

envy and fame

stepping into the land of

direct perception.

4

Keep it

going ...

again ...

again ...

30 Days Wild-ish

01

Pausing to look on the way back home
the freedoms of breeze, light rain and clouds overhead.

02

Enjoying the nettles and some cow parsley
on a walk through a wild corner.

03

Looking round a friend’s wild garden
to me it seemed quite cultivated.

04

Inhaling lovely scent of white plate blossoms
stunned there are so many more to come.

05

A female blackbird perched on a log pile
the male winging through the darker trees beyond.

06

Sketching a garden rose
good to pay such close attention to a flower
but oh how hard to get the colours right!

07

08

Looking up to gauge the weather
damp air, clouds overhead
a pigeon on the chimney pot next door.

09

Smelling the flowers of peonies
not a wild plant now but still profuse with leaves.

10

Down in my wild garden
face to face with a cat in a lilac tree.

11

Walking round and round the old folks’ garden
smelling roses
some of them wild.

12

This cloudy dry time suits the wilder roses
so spent an afternoon cutting them back.

13

Walking in the garden on a misty day
like being in my own mountain retreat.

14

Everyone shut in by a cold throwback
but warming by a wood stove feels like nature.

15

Picking wild flowers out the back
wild sights, wild smells
and one beautiful rose.

16

Out on the north side of town
only children playing
but felt like anything might happen.

17

18

Reclaiming the garden paths
taming the Wild
but only a little.

19

Surprised by tall grasses in a graveyard
somewhat outside time and space.

20

Stillness of midnight after rain
scents of sweet wild rose and astringent elder.

21

Summer solstice at Willow Tree Studio
lone birds calling in the dusk.

22

From the river straight overhead
a silent pigeon confirms thoughts of retirement.

23

Two racketing gulls overhead
fly beneath a strong new moon.

24

Plump pigeons bouncing branches opposite
then joined by a blackbird after something good.

25

Two little cats romping on a humid day
so good to see them spending time together.

26

Watching TV animals with my two wild girls
sheltering from the rain by the glowing wood stove.

27

28

Snatching a moment with a big bright moon
not quite full but blazing through gauzy clouds.

29

Plants I might consider to be weeds or waste
turn out to be quite pretty placed together in a vase.

30

In a churchyard feeling the comfort of the Wild
both dense and unexpected.