These “journal entries” were written in situ by the hikers that participated in the Ross Creek Cedars Writing Workshop, hosted this July by the Friends. Through a series of prompts, the hikers were asked to respond to this question: how can we tap into, learn from, and channel the creativity of a space as biologically prolific as the Ross Cedars? Meandering along, we used our five senses to witness the wondrous personalities of that forest, both infinitesimal and grand; the result was an equally meandering collective poem that weaves together sensory observations with poignant wonderings and statements of belonging.
*
I walk into the cedar forest,
Deep
Majestic,
Ancient.
Birds sing in the hushed silence.
The gentle creek whispers.
Giants have fallen but
New birth has begun.
My feet pad softly on
The carpeted forest floor.
*
Broken stick, cedar branch
Smooth, golden, hard, stiff, flexible Hair growing from cracks in the skin Gone from the mother
Protected by trees, leaves, shade Broken but not destroyed
Dead and alive
*
Where did you come from? How long have you been here? What was it like to be surrounded by fire?
I feel like an uninvited guest, an infidel in your majestic cathedral.
But, I am grateful to be alive
in this place at this time,
your energy merging with mine. You command our respect.
You offer us wisdom.
You give us grace.
*
Baby cedar trees
spring forth
from decaying
Mother logs
*
Remember to breathe
The forest gives us oxygen
Remember to create
Remember that we are creation
Remember the gifts:
Of a day, of a forest, of a creek, of fellow sharers
