Building Core Strength
Harbin Hot Springs, CA
2010

I arrive into darkness
To set up my hammock
Between two trees

My flashlight is dead
I decide to complete
My task
In darkness

I carry my hammock and sleeping bag
And blankets
Into raw darkness

The path down is steep
Feels almost vertical
I move one foot at a time downwards
Balancing all of myself on rock
In darkness
I must trust myself
I must trust myself
Even in darkness
I can move myself through

In an instant
I stumble
Almost falling as loose stones move below
Feel my muscles tense
Then regain stability
Of dark earth
Solid below me
 
Shape of the trees stands out darker
In the darkness
I move slowly towards one of the trees
Feeling with my fingertips softness
Of mosses growing over her
 
I loop flat cord around the tree
Move more swiftly now
Through darkness
Seeing with an inner knowing
Hanging this hammock
As if I have always hung
Hammocks in darkness
To sleep alone
By the roar of rivers.

******************************WE ARE ALL STARS***************************

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