by 
look at those trees, will you, look!
sun bursting into dazzling columns
and eucalyptus dripping its stringy
bark, drizzling its medicinal scent
dragonflies stretch stenciled wings
zephyr mambos with wild grasses
sunshine camps out on shoulders
the damp salty air curls our hair
we tumble into the sea’s embrace
to find that this is salvation and
the mountain expanse a cathedral
the ocean’s roar is its Te Deum
for mortal beings: a beautiful place,
voluptuous and wanton and willing
to be caressed, like Life, held close
never understanding the mysteries
our existence, the sea-held mountain,
we love them in our frailty, we grasp
these gifts until we can’t, until
letting go is just as it should be
© 2013, poem, Jamie Dedes, All rights reserved, Photo – a Monterey Cypress (Pebble Beach, CA, USA) courtesy of rickpawl’s photostream Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.
Jamie Dedes' THE POET BY DAY Webzine 
Beautifully penned poem of coast of Northern California.
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That opening line made me giggle – it’s one of the catch phrases Steve & I throw about when adventuring in the wilderness, accompanied by a jocular punch on the arm or backhand in the air. 🙂
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🙂
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Gorgeous poem.
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Thank you, Alethea! Beautifuly name, by the way. 🙂
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As soon as you start to read this poem you are wrapped up in it and feel each and every word with all your senses, the power of Nature beyond our limited lifetime. Love it! The photo is very dynamic. I see a constrast between the apparent calmness of the ocean and the branches of a tree that struggles to live like us, human beings. Did you take the picture? Where exactly was it taken?
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Thank you! The photo is of the Pacific along Hwy. 1 in California. It’s from RickPawl’s Photostream. I really like it too. Busy and peaceful all at once. Great shot.
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so lovely – words and picture, both
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Thank you! 🙏
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