The American poet and photographer, Nancy Wood (1936-2013), had an evocative name for someone inspired to write nature poetry. She was influenced by the Native American culture of shamanism, particularly the Pueblo peoples in the area around Taos in New Mexico.
My help is in the mountains
where I take myself to heal
the earthly wounds
that people have given me.
I find a rock with sun on it
And a stream where the water runs gentle,
and the trees which one by one give me company
So must I stay for a long time
Until I have grown from the rock
And the stream is running through me
And I cannot tell myself from one tall tree
Then I know that nothing touches me
Nor makes me run away
My help is in the mountain
That I take away with me.
Leave a Reply