Infinity Ridge

Standing here

Beneath the crusted winter air,

Looking at layer over layer

Of folded earth extending through the haze,

With trees like frosted fingers reaching

Toward the touch of pale blue sky,

And I, breathless on this zenith crease,

Find peace beyond the cold confines of time.

 

Mom and I did a little hiking last week in Shenandoah National Park (in Virginia). One of my favorite trails there takes you over some rocks to a 360-degree view near the top of a mountain. From there, it seemed like the mountain ridges around me went on endlessly, fading off into the hazy distance. That's where this poem came from.

Choice and Circumstance

Raindrops touch the puddles on the pavement,

Rhythmic, with the rings they make expanding,

Mixing with the ripples from the breezes

Blowing over top the water’s standing.

How we touch the world through each decision

Chooses where our waves begin their growing,

Broader forces bend the seas around us,

So we must adapt and go on flowing.

 

I didn't get around to posting a poem last weekend, mostly because I had spent the prior week in Ghana and was traveling back to Kenya. Now, less than a week later, I'm sitting in the Nairobi airport again, getting ready to fly to the US for Christmas. Getting the opportunity to do all this traveling has made me think about how the forces in our lives - including both our own decisions and the broader contours that affect things beyond our control - move us around and provide us with so many different experiences. At the moment, I'm really looking forward to the experience of being home in Pennsylvania for the next few weeks!