I loved that small woman
in the hills…
By ‘loved’…I mean
that she enlightened me.
By ‘small’ I mean her bones…
And not her luminance.
I said…
I’m walking in these hills
to escape get the pain.
The clamorous hurt,
That is my ruinous bane…
The freight load of my past
keeps coming down on me.
The Past ? And what is that?
She said,
There is no past…..
The Past lived in the Present.
It did not have a future.
Nor a past.
That’s only in your mind.
Be rid of it…
Enjoy the moment’s gifts…
Go !…Walk these hills in bliss.
Let Nature heal the hurt you have,
with her sagacious kiss.
Her foxy words seeped into me
and I began to ruminate.
The hills lay in the distance
Rolling, calm and clement.
My leaden heart begin to lift.
The clouds began to drift
across the endless skies.
I understand…I said
And you are wise,
No no…. was her reply.
No-one is wise.
We have wise moments,
as we live our lives.
I left the woman
with her dog and cat.
Her tidy little house
and timeless woven mats.
And in the balm of nature’s breeze,
I walked amongst the foliage.
I felt the ground beneath my feet.
My spirit floated with the leaves…
Kristine Byrne Poem and Illustration.17th Nov. 2020