NAture's test
peter irwin
Flat, hard rock softens into a chair,
my body — not accepted — tolerated
in nature’s embrace. Silently above,
wasps float hauntingly in the winter air.
The sun pours rich hues over the looming hills:
oranges, reds, yellows, painted over black.
Darkness suffocates the strength from my will;
echoing through the cold, baboon barks crack
at my safety. But, light leaks through thick clouds.
Catching my sight, a buck pauses and stares
at me, so unnatural, without sound --
the buck, proof nature is not unaware.
The challenge: fasting, solitude, silence.
The reward: nature and its acceptance.
my body — not accepted — tolerated
in nature’s embrace. Silently above,
wasps float hauntingly in the winter air.
The sun pours rich hues over the looming hills:
oranges, reds, yellows, painted over black.
Darkness suffocates the strength from my will;
echoing through the cold, baboon barks crack
at my safety. But, light leaks through thick clouds.
Catching my sight, a buck pauses and stares
at me, so unnatural, without sound --
the buck, proof nature is not unaware.
The challenge: fasting, solitude, silence.
The reward: nature and its acceptance.