into the dark abyss

marin headlands. july 2011.

an updated version of my last poem.
more to vance's style, i think.

When I awaken early

from the pre-dawn light

and reluctantly rise (before the rest),

I look at what surrounds me; 

I lay my eyes against objects simple and profound

and write a poem with my eyes and what they see. 

When backlit clouds prism rays into every shade;

When bare pine branches reach down

to frame sections of sky,

I am reminded that, although
there are no new words to use,
somehow each dawn is yet unthought.

When I awaken to the new day's light upon me,
I follow its caress
on rock and stream and branch;

I exist within a landscape of untouched woodland,
of hidden watersheds deep in the hills.
I face the dawn and shine my joy upon it.