Experiencing a Lifelong Intimacy

A poetic reflection on natural intimacy

Experiencing a Lifelong Intimacy

Hair reveals grass on the earth

lying on our side adapts to hills

in valleys of soft earth and streams

wrapped around bones and muscles

feeling hot, cold, warm in places

mirrors our climate; a flower reveals

our natural beauty, even in storms,

arteries and veins reflect rivers

and lakes breathing in the trees

we meet oxygen enhancing lungs

we stand tall like forest trees

alone in the embrace of others

our beads of sweat join morning

dewdrops on leaves transforming

to tears rolling down the face.

This sublime intimacy dwells

while leaves blow around

like thoughts in the wind of change

then resting in the stillness and

blessings of the forest floor.

Ah, human nature!

Evening in late September 2023. A freezing of the moment in the unfreezable. Slapton Sands in south Devon, England. Swallows stop off at the fresh water lake to eat and sleep before continuing their 9000 kilometre journey in late September to South Africa. With the climate in UK getting warmer, a handful of swallows now spend the winter here.