There’s light upon the Colorado mountains,
shining on the Wasatch and Sawtooth,
over the Canyonlands and Great Basin
to the deserts of Nevada and California.
From the high chaparral of eastern Oregon
pouring down the sentinel peaks
through the gorge of the Snake and Columbia
where the green swath of the Willamette leads
to the Coast Range and over to the Pacific.
Everything alive with the touch of life,
urging the healing dark to continue west,
help the wounded and forlorn to gather faith
and awaken to this one moment in time,
the moment when the plum tree blossoms
to spill out flowers in the first joy of spring.
photograph @Jesse.Brackenbury
Reading of “Plum Tree Blossoms” with music by Aaron Copland
A deeply moving piece! Thank you Don!
Beautiful, Don…
Hello Don- Yes, the dark, pregnant with healing.
The process of Springing is glorious. Loved this poem, Don!
Very moving, thank you Don.
Don, this is expansive and well-organized, strong. It is also a provocation to think about the cherry blossoms coming into bloom in Vancouver, BC and, probably, your area, too. Thanks.
Lovely, Don. Yes, here in Victoria too, trees are beginning to bloom. I enjoyed your sweep of light across the land, the urge that springs out into pink petals.
Don,
When I first read the poem, the second line with “aglow” didn’t scan to my ear. The rest of the poem scanned in a rhythm that matched the movement of the diurnal terminator line beautifully. A second reading didn’t change my mind. However, when I listened to how you were parsing the line with your voice, I understood what you were hearing.
I love the theme of the moving terminator line of dark and light in a poem. Do you know Archibald MacLeish’s fabulous poem “To You Andrew Marvell”? He follows that line the opposite direction as you do, but you share the dedication to the rhythm of the light moving across the landscape.
And a lovely dismount, journey’s end.
Let’s all awaken to the one moment we have now.
Just beautiful, Don. I follow the line and track of the light across the country, right to the plum tree blossoms by your river. Most of all, I hear this moment, as David said, this one moment in time we have now. Here is this opening…! I love this. Thank you.
Epic
It was a travel from Colorado over the mountaintops and all around the west and beyond. WOW I was with you and it was exciting. I have the day off I got my second Pfizer shot yesterday and no problems. My 83 years keep flying by. I try to bike 20 miles everyday after work (still full time)
Life is good and so are you!
Magnificent and all-encompassing, with Aaron Copland’s music the perfect accompaniment. I LOVE this one! Your words remind me of hearing Peter, Paul and Mary in person sing “This land is your land, this land is my land, from California to the New York islands”. 1963, when I was a student at Iowa State in Ames. Thank you, Don.
Forgot to say the image is marvelous. Perfect.
We listened to you reading this poem driving out the gorge sunday morning to a spot where eagles congregate. The air fresh and the mists dancing about us. It was a perfect way to venture forth on a fine day in March. Thank you for turning our heads and hearts towards beauty.
Thank you, Don…exquisite. So mellow with your voice and the music.