-- Wilderness Heart --

John Herlihy

Only time can develop a true wilderness heart;

A finish never arrives if no beginning at the start.

Nature offers gifts but what of wilderness within;

The sublime solitudes of nature there to feel akin.

What lies within but a reflection of what lies without;

A cacophony of confusion will make us want to shout.

If within lies the grounding of a wild, turbulent ocean;

No amount of wishing can alter this fearsome notion.

Not all individuals are alike; each must take their part,

To search, to find, to preserve inside a wilderness heart.

Who has looked into a doe’s eyes and felt nature near?

Stood face to face with a bear, yet the soul remains clear.

Some people are well adapted to the busy life of the city;

Sentiments of other people attuned to life in the country.

No matter where we may live, a wilderness heart still there;

Ready to nurture our sensibilities with no insight to spare.

The wilderness heart ever steady, beloved nature in repose;

Beating in unison with butterfly and bee as the flowers dose.

Its solitudes a living presence that connects with higher soul;

In walking through a quiet forest to feel the silence we stole.

Wilderness will not befriend us, we must learn to befriend her;

Wilderness will never have any need for us, we simply need her.

Feel the meadow, absorb the mountain, feel reluctant to depart;

 Begin your journey into the interior to feel your wilderness heart.

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(c) John Herlihy Friday 31 August 2019