“What lies behind you and what lies in front
of you, pales in comparison to what lies inside of you.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Image: by mec… hiking along the headwaters of the San Joaquin River

Having absolved a bias of the Devil’s Postpile,
We descend deeper into a rugged canyon,
Steeply-walled, where the
Southern, central &
Eastern sierras
Converge;
Here, in a rare confluence
Of climates, the San Joaquin River
Finds its inception as snow in the mountains…

Eyes pleasure in a rich mix,
Distinctive & charming, where an
Intermingling of flora– the Eastern aspen,
Juniper and sagebrush, intermingled with the Western
Fir, alder and gooseberry- captures our affections…
As we go, eager

Eyes absorb a
Mosaic of pebbles &
Boulders steadfastly fixed in and along
The tortuous descent in motley textures smoothed
By a rivers flowing incessancy… suddenly,
From this vast expanse of
Forms & nuances, a
Particular thing catches her eye,

“Look there!”
She cried pointing

Towards the water’s edge where
Another of nature’s panoptic illustrations lay
Fixed firmly in amongst a myriad
Wash of shapes,
A representation (of sorts)
For keen eyes,
& too,
In a place
So fickly inclement;
A picture of deeper resolve,
With regard to human hardship,
HEARTROCKS
Grounded well that- despite the
Many storms endured throughout a lifetime-
Remain recognizable in an ever-changing landscape


richard lloyd cederberg
9/12