Beringia (poem) by Jeff Mason on AuthorsDen

Jeff Mason

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Beringia

by Jeff Mason — Read all 207 poems by Jeff Mason

I wrote this around Nov 2014, after reading a NewsWeek article about the "Beringia" region, where the Alaskan dog-sled race, the Iditarod, takes place. The "mushers" and dogs are cut from a rough cloth; they must be sturdy beyond the norm, to be able to make the trek across the frozen tundra. And I imagine that any of the original settlers who crossed either way in the Bering region, must have had to be of equal or greater fortitude. To me, the race speaks volumes as a testament to a unique breed of both human and canine; and also acts as a historical tribute to those who've fought the frigid expanse to build something where once was nothing; and where few souls, save for the most bold, dare to tread. And the only ones who truly survive and thrive� are those who are absent of self; supremely focused upon each never-promised breath; melding mind and spirit with the very tundra upon which they glide (anything but effortlessly); each mile consumed� being yet another mile survived.

Image courtesy Fun Paw Care
http://www.funpawcare.com

Tuesday, March 3, 2015

Beringia
Nov 2014

This seeming-endless, whitewashed tundra is, in every sense,
far too harsh a judge to ever be forgiving...
teeming with relentless cold and, yet,
in its purest form, its strongest hold...
its own beguiling, fatal beauty
one never can forget.

Such truth is with us still;
though rare, it does exist...
consuming fearless souls
of those who'd somehow dare resist
respecting frozen crust that begs footsteps
to write its vibrant stories
scribed on pearly pages
formed of ever-changing frost and ice...
revealing all its hidden glories,
demanding firm expected sacrifice.

History... embossed in ivory veins
across unblemished, graceful plains
emblazoned here,
to be read by hearts
left unrestrained by mortal fear;
exhaling vapored, heated breath...
always pushing onward,
even in the face of almost-certain death...
forging trails on crag and shelf;

surrend'ring...
above all,
the once-thought-sacred self.

Purchase my 1st poetry anthology Whispers in the Wake

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Reviewed by Steve Ralph

Reviewed on August 28, 2023

I thoroughly enjoyed this, it was very well written,
thank you for sharing it.
Steve

Reviewed by Christine Tsen

Reviewed on March 12, 2015

I think this is brilliantly crafted ~
Blessings,
Christine xo

Reviewed by Jms Bell

Reviewed on March 8, 2015

THE IMAGERY HERE IS FINE IN THIS WORK THAT GIVES CREDIT FOR THE ENDURING GOD-GIVEN STRENGTH, WISDOM AND COURAGE OF MAN AND BEAST...WITH RESPECT TO HOW IT WAS AND HOW IT IS. THANKS FOR SHARING. LOVE, BLESSINGS AND FAITH...JOYCE * HIS INSPIRATIONS

Reviewed by La Belle Rouge Poetess Of The Heart

Reviewed on March 7, 2015

Jeff this is so wonderfully realistic. Well done and much enjoyed.

Reviewed by Michael Schafer

Reviewed on March 4, 2015

Hitch 'em up and lets go.

Michael D.

Reviewed by Morgan Merriweather

Reviewed on March 3, 2015

Great poem, reminds me of Shackleton's voyage. Those dogs are amazing!

Reviewed by Ronald Hull

Reviewed on March 3, 2015

This race, so full of drama and difficulty, is only a reenactment of what people did for thousands of years just to survive in the Arctic region. Dogs have always been a respected part of that lifestyle since they were domesticated. I often wonder if today's adventurers with all of the motor driven support they rely on, could be as tough as those, who had no motor vehicles, no firearms, and no access to food any further south than where they lived. To write about them, like Jane's relatives below, is to write about those, truly heroic.

Ron

Reviewed by Isabella Koldras

Reviewed on March 3, 2015

...a persuasive analogy of tundra...that's encouraging the "few fearless souls"
to "resist respecting frozen crust"...and "write its vibrant stories...unrestrained
by mortal fears"....
Taking your analogy to a higher ground...the knowledge of the hushed tundra
...the hush reality of life... obstruct grossly the real view of real beauty and in
the culture of fear...with an inclination of morally vulnerable people to easy
panic...one can easily become lost.....
Thank you for sharing your thought-provoking writing.

Reviewed by Jane Noponen Perinacci

Reviewed on March 3, 2015

One must give the people who survive these conditions the utmost respect. I have relatives who live above the Arctic Circle in Finland where the Sami travel their reindeer herds. You have penned the dangers they face but yet somehow survive if they observe the "ways". I enjoyed this very much. Thank you.

Love ya!

Jane

Reviewed by Richard Cederberg

Reviewed on March 3, 2015

Jeff, when first viewing the title, I thought that you might be writing about the ancient Beringia land bridge. I relate to this. And whether you put it there purposely or not; I perceive (in its guts) a spiritual gem. "There is an ecstasy that marks the summit of life, and beyond which life cannot rise. And such is the paradox of living, this ecstasy comes when one is most alive, and it comes as a complete forgetfulness that one is alive." Jack London. A thoughtful, philosophical write, with undercurrents about the sobering revelation anyone can experience when they see themselves as they really are through the eyes of our Creator.
Enjoyed. Peace to you...

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