Indian Trails Poem by Brian Mayo
Indian Trails
They say Indians walked along this creek
and I believe it.
The trail is littered with winter's wreckage.
I choose my steps carefully, avoiding twigs and branches.
My moccasins,
printing soft, decayed leaves into the loam with
barely a whisper.
I sense ancient souls here, standing still
among the trees.
The beaten, broken, long-suffering trees.
Weathered oak and elm giants, twisting upward, seeking light
but today- only a dismal gray wash, filtered
through a witch's tangle of creaking bone
and gnarled claw.
The hollow
echoing beat of a distant
woodpecker, and then a deep
stillness.
Fresh deer tracks pepper
a muddy slope leading to the water- -gleaming
stealthily through a sparse growth of saplings.
I spot a familiar rock,
a lonely, jagged recluse, jutting
from a pebbly shallows.
It gets quiet in the woods as dusk nears.
Sometimes, a bit too quiet.
On a whim, I leave the path, and vanish
beneath a grouping of tall pines.
A purple mist descends...
I am not
alone.
Beautiful depiction of a walk through nature, perhaps a very similar walk to one taken all those years ago by an ancient Native American. Just wonderful. We have a park near where I live and I go hiking there often. No real documented proof that it was ever inhabited by native Americans, but oftentimes when I reach a cliff serving as a lookout point (off trail of course is where the best of these is found) I wonder to myself if great councils ever took place in those spots overlooking their territory. Finally, when you said I am not alone. Was it Jimi Hendrix accompanying you? ? ? It was right after you mentioned the purple mist (haze) .... Sorry for that, couldn't resist. Great write Brian
I enjoyed your journey along this ancient path truly experiencing and capturing the essence being so tuned in to nature as those that had gone before.....10
A wonderful, simple take on a jounery in Nature Brian.. One of the things that I find wonderful about it is how effortless it seems.. They are natural.. A fine one here. Thanks for sharing.
Wonderfully written. I am a lover of the outdoors and often feel the same things when communing.
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
Delivering Poems Around The World
Poems are the property of their respective owners. All information has been reproduced here for educational and informational purposes to benefit site visitors, and is provided at no charge...
4/25/2024 4:22:10 AM # 1.0.0.1119
strange workings of (or lack of workings of) my mind! i love this poem and it sounded so new to me. BUT i see i have already read and left a comment. despite a lack of humor OR rhyming here, i'm 'LOVING' this poem, maybe more than the first time. to MyPoemList. and i'd 'love' to have it in my/our December showcase, Section A, which is just getting under way. may i? ? ? i await your 'yea' or 'nay'. bri :)