end of the trail

when, at last, I came 
to that circle of quietude

that hung like a blue orb

above the ancient tree tops,

my breathing labored,

in the shush of cedar boughs

and primordial peace . . .

I rested, then, in the fragrant forest:

the moments, so tender,

words of description stuck

like lumps in my throat . . . though,

after such a trek, I felt weightless,

as if all my burdens had

dissolved in the mist . . .

so lighthearted, that I soared

far from where my body stood –

swept away by Mother of the Wind . . .

and, in that transcendence,

it occurred to me:

this was the way

to come to the end of the trail. 

notes:  the prompt from Poetry Jam this week is "Quiet".

The word "Squamish" means "Mother of the Wind", as named by the Coast Salish inhabitants.

photo:  Blue Orb (resting spot on the Sea to Sky Hiking Trail, Squamish BC) – M.S. Bourke

© 2014 Wendy Bourke