Tending Toward Serenity

Ever in the forefront of my mind is an appreciation of the natural wonders our Pacific Northwest offers. Trees and naturally flowing waters are my talismans.

The following piece was written during a three day retreat with two other writer-friends at the Oregon coast. 

                                                        Three Days

One day, gunmetal gray skies, rain blowing sideways,

pelting the huge windows,

sliding down in liquid, sensuous sheets.

White capped waves churned and roiled.

Murres and gulls squawked,

swooped along the crests—seeking.

One morning, skies strewn with cumulous clouds.

Harbinger of an afternoon sky turning absolute blue.

Three friends, writing, parsing.

At times, silence. A camaraderie needing no words.

We reveled in the sound of quiet.

Soft susurration of waves and birdsong—

a soothing background.

That abiding sense of solace usually, easily, found in nature had been eroded somewhat by my keen awareness of the ongoing national unrest; the dissonance of the many voices and the seeming inability to compromise; the spate of human-caused destruction born out of our hubris and sense of entitlement.

These three days were a balm—a much-needed respite from the cacophony which I had begun allowing into my psyche.


                                    The sole art that suits me is that which, 

rising from unrest, tends toward serenity. 
~ Andre Gide