A cold day on the high desert. A Celebration of Life
It is winter at the high desert,
Everything is a tone of grey or brown.
Nothing is straight.
The wind has bent and bowed all
That is above the cold
Craggy ground.
The crooked scrub pine will
Grow anywhere it can,
Even if it is out of a wretched rock.
And before its time, it is
Gnarled and worn from the
Pounding weather.
There is brush that is sage and
Juniper rolling away after
It has been broken by
The frozen elements.
There is not much else.
Animals roam and scurry searching
For the nourishment
That sustains them.
But as it is so with all of life,
And as it will always be,
When you’re there,
And you look over to the mountains
And you look down at the canyons
And when you see for miles the level vastness,
When you stand up straight, upright against the wind,
Standing as tall as you possibly can, then
My God in heaven, you feel alive.
Susan Patterson
November 2011
It is winter at the high desert,
Everything is a tone of grey or brown.
Nothing is straight.
The wind has bent and bowed all
That is above the cold
Craggy ground.
The crooked scrub pine will
Grow anywhere it can,
Even if it is out of a wretched rock.
And before its time, it is
Gnarled and worn from the
Pounding weather.
There is brush that is sage and
Juniper rolling away after
It has been broken by
The frozen elements.
There is not much else.
Animals roam and scurry searching
For the nourishment
That sustains them.
But as it is so with all of life,
And as it will always be,
When you’re there,
And you look over to the mountains
And you look down at the canyons
And when you see for miles the level vastness,
When you stand up straight, upright against the wind,
Standing as tall as you possibly can, then
My God in heaven, you feel alive.
Susan Patterson
November 2011
Audio: A Celebration of Life:
Discussion: A Celebration of Life
I wrote this poem during a visit to Eastern Oregon. I was out walking. It was windy and cold, but still there was an appreciation of the area and its features. This is a poem about standing up to the hardships or challenges of life. The high desert is a metaphor of life. Sometimes how we live is beautiful, sometimes it is harsh and difficult. But, to continue to metaphor out, when we stand up against a difficulty, it is often then that we feel the most alive and the most strong. We may be surrounded by cold and grey. Living beings may need to look long and hard for sustenance. However, even then, with cold, craggy ground to stand on, being upright in spirit is still a powerful stance to take. skp
A cup of hot tea is always a good choice.
▶ The calendar is man's way of tracking the works of God. Earlene Grey
James Patterson in the high desert of Oregon.
Happy winter to you! skp
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