Closer to the Stars
I’ve debated posting this writing…I know it may sound over the top, like a page from a bad romance novel, but there’s no simple way to explain the overwhelming energy of being immersed in these mountains day after day. I tried to tone it down, but it just couldn’t be toned down. So, here are the words that came flowing out while laying under the stars:
I’ve been in Colorado for the past week, sleeping some nights in the van and some in the tent. After 7, when the sun starts descending behind the highest pines, the sky fades into shades of pink to deep lavenders, then sinks into a dark sea of sparkling night, making the van feel like a blind fold between me and magic. This dramatic terrain and omni view creates the perfect theater for nature’s special effects and demands a front row seat by sleeping under a thin filament just enough to keep the bugs and critters out while letting everything else in the world paint over me. It’s places like these that turn even the most magnificent houses, or anything with a wall and roof, into a cage.
In the evenings, I walk the dirt road, each day measuring the patches of gold grow as they slowly seep into the applauding leaves of green aspen, while listening to the overture of wildlife. The trumpet of the elk pierces through the dense forest and cuts through the valley straight into whatever thought is floating through my mind and freezes it, then melts it away in its echo; its solo serenade is as hypnotic as I imagine a Greek siren’s song to be. Then the deer crunch through the sage and underbrush, much louder than a chipmunk but softer than a bear, pulling my eyes to catch theirs, as we watch each other and have a moment of understanding - you don’t hurt me, and I won’t hurt you.
The nights are getting colder earlier. I’ll be leaving soon.
Twilight in the trusty tent that is now over 10 years old.
Been busying myself during the day making bracelets. Have not reopened up shop yet because I need to register my business in Washington - I’ve been procrastinating doing so, but plan on it soon.
Turning leaves.
A moment I had with a deer.