"A Windless Morning" by Taylor Stoneman

Tufts of grass glow golden in morning light,

sun bringing sustenance to my skin,

sunburnt and chapped from yesterday.

I live here now, on this hillside—

stag my neighbor,

stream our life source.

If I could choose this every day, I would:

to be surrounded,

to sit in the good & the hard,

and to survive it.

I pen this poem with one glove off & one on,

watching a line of nine pelicans fly parallel to the horizon.

The sun finally crests the peak behind me—

I turn my face toward the warmth,

eyelashes emboldened by heat.

Now, I think I will wake them.

Taylor is an artist and poet living in Berkeley. This piece came forth from the tender bud of a morning during a trip backpacking California's Lost Coast last June. Much of Taylor's poetry stems from experiences in and among the wild. She can be found at www.taylorstoneman.com