Evergreen Envelope

Adjacent from the train station in Largs We came upon a timid dirt trail And having blissfully bulged our bellies With brackish crisps and Irn-Bru, We took to this beguiling artery. Even before the ochreous soft drink Had supernaturally resurfaced in ghostly aftertaste, Thick hands of jade had descended To shield our ears from the wheezy speech Of roaring cars and civilization. With eager tongues we thankfully licked The effervescent seal of this evergreen envelope. Each breath we breathed was boarded By moss and moisture and forest floor, Crisp air never before held prisoner By any living human lung. From countless waterfalls it rose To wipe our cheeks revived and ruddy Like a mother with a moistened napkin. Further we meandered into the dense woodland, Each tree a kindly old sage Festooned with luscious lime beards of lichen, Willing that we wander to the wisdom That they have freely offered for ages To the unhearing ears of man. With difficulty we crossed a rustling pool, Laboriously leaping like leprous mainlanders From narrow rock to narrow rock Nipped more than once by the earth’s frosty sap. There stood a solemn wall of living stone. On its face a thousand lines, Spoke clearer than any dialect, Of what was and what shall be Eyewitness of the birth of the world, Eyewitness of impending passing. Our hike had come to sudden finish, For the big stone man had spoken Reminding us that nothing lasts forever And that envelopes tear so easily.Well, I certainly had a fun time exploring this memory! Largs is a little coastal town in Scotland. This is a true story, we really did wander into a forest "all of a sudden." I suddenly felt like I was in Middle-Earth. It was absolutely amazing. Irn-Bru, for those of you who don't know is this sickly sweet orange pop. It's the #1 soft drink in Scotland. Crisps of course are chips... I hope you have as much fun reading this as I had writing it. Written March 28th, 2002 © on Mar 28 2002 02:57 PM PST   0 • 11 • 10