avatarJames Raven

Summary

The text is a personal and evocative reflection on the author's cherished memories of a childhood creek and forest, inviting the reader to experience the profound beauty and soulful connection the author feels with this natural landscape.

Abstract

The author shares a deeply personal connection to a creek from their childhood, a place that oscillates between a gentle trickle and a profound, inviting pool. The creek is surrounded by a forest that is not just a visual experience but a sensory embrace, with its endless shades of green and the interplay of shadow and sunlight. The author describes a specific spot at the base of a waterfall, where they have left a piece of their soul, inviting the reader to visit and share in the tranquility and memory of the place. The text is accompanied by a photograph by the author and a link to more of their work on Medium.

Opinions

  • The author believes the creek and forest hold a special, almost mystical significance, transcending mere scenery to become a part of one's soul.
  • The author trusts that the reader will experience the same profound connection to the forest as they have, emphasizing the importance of sensory experience over sight alone.
  • The waterfall and the pool at its base are depicted as a sacred place where the author has willfully left a part of themselves, suggesting a deep, emotional investment in the location.
  • The author's use of language and imagery conveys a strong emotional bond with nature, suggesting that these memories and experiences are foundational to their identity and sense of beauty.

If You Should Go There

A poem

photo by author

There is a creek that runs through my childhood memories. The creek is cold and I never followed it to the ocean. At times a trickle, others a deep pool inviting you to submerse in its embrace. I have wandered along its edges. Marveled at its sounds. It is the memory of all that is beautiful to me.

If you should go there you must pass through the forest. Many will stumble through and never feel the forest. I trust in how you will feel in my forest, how more than sight you will be in this memory. The forest will embrace you and touch your soul. Endless shades of green. Shadow wrapping everything so you can appreciate the burst of sunlight it has designed.

When you go, find the water falling at the cliff's edge. Stand in the pool at its base. At the end of the cut of rock, it is quiet and I sat down, I willed a piece of my soul to rest there, so you can go one day and once more sit with us.

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