Nature's Peace Poem by Jan Oskar Hansen

On my scooter I was driving along a slender road
on the upper valley. At the bottom of the vale,
where the main road is, I heard swishes of traffic.
A hot afternoon but the westerly wind blew from
the sea and made it bearable. I stopped and just
sat there listening to the subdued natural din.

On the other side of the valley houses have been
built since I came, that’s ok, as they blend in with
the landscape. I looked up and saw the dead oak,
leafless and grey, nothing lasts forever my friend.
An old man now I’m aware of my mortality, but
this was a moment of peace, and I felt invincible.