Tiny bits of bark crumble under hand. Muscles tense with each effortful movement in the body’s ascent of a tree, hands grip around branches, limbs stretch, feet secure to gnarls, knots, or bark holes.  Conquering, and clinging, when climbing a tree.  Perhaps a squirrel scurries away at the sight of the human visitor. Or an abandoned nest is discovered nestled in a nook.  Gradually the world below seems to shrink.  The vastness of the sky is revealed when the canopy breaks, offering the seeker a moment of humility.  At the top, a bird’s eye view.  Feet planted solid in the crevice between trunk and limb and back bent along the bend of yet another tree limb offers body’s rest.  Clouds float by; their shapes emerge in the form of artifacts or animals.

Tags: climbing, Trees, vastness

Posted: Monday, February 22nd, 2010