Recipes for Respite

Listen to the wind whipped willows
Waving to and fro
Pay attention to the sounds
Of gusts upon the grades

What do you see
When you gaze upon the waves in the grasses
Rolling forever uphill
Pushed with purpose into a sprint
To be first in line
To gaze upon jagged lofty peaks
And succumb to the visual overload
Of the hanging valley glacial remains

How does the water feel
As it cooly rushes by your hot flushed face
Forever churning down river smoothed granite troughs
Polished through the ages

Ease your worried mind
Rest easy and let the woods
Seep through your pores
And soak in filling 'til buoyancy

Don't mind the storm clouds
That gather overhead
For they only look dark and ominous

Let the afternoon rain
Drench you 'til chilled
Then sit by the sheltered campfire
And chase away the cold

Poke a few logs into coals
And let their glow sooth your soul

Cast your stones
Into the boulder strewn river
In the pitch black of night
As the stars above weave their spellbound tales

Brew some coffee
Let the stew boil
Until it's time to feast

Listen to the whispering pines ramble on
Let the angels' harmonies
Win out over the demon's torment

Let the feeling lull you to sleep
Under warm fireside blankets