Wednesday, January 12th, 2011...12:02 pm
Regression / Hiking the Dunes
A Random Act of Poetry for Marcus Goodyear’s prompt at The High Calling: “write a poem about one of your struggles, but be gentle with yourself.” (See Marcus’s entire post here.)
These dunes are really a horde of orphans,
every grain of sand abandoned, dropped off here
by its mother, wind, who only carried it
as far as the mountain she wanted to climb.
Like an out-of-place sidekick of the Rockies,
these dunes make a landlocked beach
nestled by Sangre de Cristo majesty,
these dunes like a child sitting
at the feet of Him whose blood named
these mountains.
I hike these dunes only in the early morning
before the sun turns helpless sand into flames
that can cover and cook my bare feet.
I step up the slope, but this is sand, after all,
and I slide down though the step I took
was up (it really was). I’d rather hike
a firm mountain trail where, on solid earth,
one step forward really is.
But now I’m on sand, this unsupportive ground
always shifting under me.
Is there a trick to getting over
the discouragement of dune-hiking?
I hope that with every one step forward,
it’s less than one step back.
At least I know, when I’m on my way back,
the sand that slowed my dune-hiking
will make soft landings for the downhill
dune-jumping thrills, and the return trip
will be smooth and speedy.
...to Know-Love-Obey God
4 Comments
January 12th, 2011 at 12:48 pm
Oh how the sands do shift and sift around and beneath us, but the thing is … when they are doused with water the liquid adheres them enough for us to run fully forward with strength. Water, shifting sands, running … I love all the images that have come to mind because of your poem.
Thank you for letting me know that you saw the beauty I’m being taught to perceive when you stopped by my blog earlier. I always love to notice how Christ shares his lessons among us, for the rejoicing becomes all the greater when it touches more than one.
January 12th, 2011 at 11:51 pm
I wanted to go to the Great Sand Dunes this summer, but it was a five hour drive around the mountains.
I especially like the idea of sliding further down with each step. That’s a powerful image of how slow and frustrating life can feel sometimes. And yet, because the image is at the Great Sand Dunes, there’s a natural lightness to it. You’ve put impatience in perspective.
January 13th, 2011 at 12:50 pm
I love that first paragraph, Monica. To think of each grain of sand an orphan of mountain mother. Wow. That’s pretty deep (pun intended
)
But, seriously. I know you well enough to know…you build your foundation on the Solid Rock. And that’s not throwing stones! (wow, I’m on today
) No shifting sands for you, lady. Though, I know, we all go there from time to time.
Hugs to you.
January 14th, 2011 at 2:43 pm
Monica, there is so much here that I have found something new with each reading…
Blessings.
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