Reaches me first
Long tendrils of calm
Pull me into a cathedral
Of light and shadow
Faint, faint birdsong
Swirling dust mote...

Underfoot a soft dense cushion
Protection for a root system
Intertwining just below the surface
Centuries of a sloughing off in an ever cycling
Season of death for life
An evolving ecosystem that climbs upwards towards Light

Light streams in, creating patterns on my face and hands
A stained glass light in hues of green brown blue, mottles my soul
I stand surrounded by benevolence
Benign curiosity
In the council chamber of redwoods

Called to the center of an ancient being
An altar deep within
The belly of a great Mother burned so long ago,
I curl inwards as the I Me melts into Redwood dreams reaching to heaven

Such Joy in existence
Of mutual family ties with All That Is
Including this small human nestled in its bosom.

Carolyn Ayres