Summit

Summit

Completed 06/09/18 - A meditation on Schönberg Summit 

At the summit we find a lawn whose charms evade the attentions of below: an Eden growing under the close inspection of a blue sky, with its dissolving but punctual sentries. Benches offer respite after the climb, but the sun is inescapable. We alight upon a curious seat and let our bodies sink back in its obtuse angled form. Tick strewn but comfortable wood cradles us for a conversation and a suntan at the hidden green lookout. We gaze down upon it all: the field paths of buzzing wildflower heaven, whose winding traces connect valley to sky; the hospitable, gradual low-slopes where horned orange cows wander pastures folded into the deep June shadows of the mountainside. Adjacent hills and our earlier cares appear small from above. Yesterday, thunder and lightning split the roof over our heads, letting in sporadic downpours and moments of fragile sun. Today, the sky has a confident and expansive demeanour. My heart slows to match the nature of the day: Accepting open possibilities, meditating on the blurry horizon, beating with a calm joy. Other men and women emerge from the forest bearing reddened skin and hair slick with sweat. Those who we don’t turn to look at, we can sense from the panting at our backs. We speak more quietly than they can breath, and in the warmth, we rest..