Dawn comes to the valley,
houses lit with early risers,
garbage trucks roaring to a stop.
Headlights carve the remaining dark,
white edged clouds outline the sky.
Black winged birds fly east
while out beyond the mountains
sun breaks the horizon,
warming the high desert
and a ripple of peaks on the great divide.
Wolf, coyote and a wave of creatures
stir and find their legs, begin the hunt.
Sturgeon circle beneath the dams,
salmon wait past the break
for a flush of cold water on the tide.
Press your ear to the ground,
you’ll hear the earth thrumming
with the bass of deep stone
and something like joy
flowing through her veins
as she rushes to the morning.
photograph by Sandy Brown Jensen
Don, More and more you capture the joy in the simple and common. We need that so that our ego’s don’t depress the reality of our true experience.
Thank you.
Nice photo! One of my favorite poems of yours—a dawn song taking its place in a royal lineage.
Thanks for attunement embedded in this gem; good work endures the test of time, easily. For me this message fits perfectly into this day, a day when I need to press my ear to the ground and hear that loyal bass note. Great timing bro!
I feel the rush of the spring juices even as the winter clings on…I am so thankful for all the the flavors of the flow of life..
Sun’s up, uh huh, looks OK
The world survives into another day
And I’m thinking about eternity
Some kind of ecstasy got a hold on me
Honoring ancient patterns that always seem so new.
Perhaps this describes what living in the moment means…past and future coming together in the present.
Hope beautifully expressed, Don. Thanks.
These lines are a jewel to me:
Press your ear to the ground,
you’ll hear the earth thrumming
with the bass of deep stone
and something like joy
flowing through her veins
Love the sensuality!
Magnificent river poem Don. You write from intimate knowledge of that inner and outer landscape which gives birth to mountains and rivers without end—and to great poetry. And a magnificent photo too. Something like joy! Indeed. And who could say just exactly what joy is? But I do know that this something is married-to and carried-by the Mighty River of Love—and I ripple with something like joy throughout my days. And with the River comes a consciousness of eternity and, as James said, quoting a great Canadian poet, “Some kind of ecstasy got a hold on me.” Yes, there is also this sensuality woven through it all. Love it!
What a way to start the day! Moved me to the marrow.
The word rushing, suggests excitement; eagerness to meet the new day with all its wonder and its deep stones that carry strong meaningful stories. I love this poem, Don! It speaks to my profound appreciation for this earth home!
Lovely, your description of the dawn is so picturesque.
Sublime…