Summary

"The Ribcage" is a poetic reflection on a mesmerizing experience under a tunnel of trees.

Abstract

"The Ribcage" is a poem by Erika Burkhalter that encapsulates the author's entrancing experience as a child being driven through an arching tunnel of trees, where the play of light and shadow evoked a sense of timelessness and freedom, akin to a disco ball's fleeting dance of light. This evocative piece, accompanied by the author's own photographs, explores the ethereal beauty of nature and the profound impact of a transient moment that feels suspended between the present and eternity. The poem is also available as an audio recording, providing an additional sensory dimension to the reader's experience.

Opinions

The author expresses a deeply personal and emotive connection to the natural world, suggesting that such moments of beauty are transformative and spiritual.
The poem conveys a sense of wonder and enchantment, implying that nature's ephemeral displays are akin to artistic performances that leave a lasting impression.
There is an underlying theme of introspection and emergence, as the poem describes moving from a state of enchantment under the canopy to a rebirth into reality.
The author's decision to include both visual and auditory elements in the poem indicates a belief in the multisensory nature of artistic experience and expression.
By sharing this memory and its impact, Burkhalter invites readers to reflect on their own significant moments of beauty and transcendence in nature.

The Ribcage

Beneath the trees

Beneath the ribcage of foliage, my heart skipped a beat. I tried to keep my eyes open. But it was an impossible feat.

Slivered light slipped through the slats on the trees.

It wove a spell on me.

Were we here?

Or were we then?

Or even now?

Somehow, I felt free, but also tethered somewhere between here and eternity.

Like a disco ball’s dance of light upon skin, those flickers, those glimmers of illumination,

they last for a moment.

And then they are gone, remnants of a song in your mind.

And then, I was through, and I knew, I had been birthed from the canopy into reality.

I opened my eyes.

But, I couldn’t see.

This poem describes a memory I have of being about eleven or twelve. I was being driven underneath an arching tunnel of trees. The light absolutely hypnotized me. We drove through this tunnel many more times as I was growing up, and I had the same mesmerizing reaction every time.

To hear this poem, read by me, please go to:

Erika Burkhalter is a yogi, cat-mom, photographer, and lover of travel and nature, spreading her amazement for Mother Earth’s glories, one photo, poem or story at a time. (MS Neuropsychology, MA Yoga Studies).

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