Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Acorn Dreaming Oak

 

A tall oak tree sits in the center of the clearing, shading me from 
the mid-day sun. I eat my lunch at the table in the garden and 
collect acorns the porcupine has not yet found. 
Feeling the smooth seed husk 
and the rough-patterned cap, I am reminded of the 
mystery of dreaming and becoming. The acorn dreams the oak, 
becoming what it already is. I remember, breathe, and tell myself 
to be patient. I am a dreaming acorn, 
I am dreaming a magnificent oak. Dreaming is blurry at times, 
my life feels blurry at times. I wonder if the acorn spends time 
pondering life and what it should do next. Hmmm. 
Seems the acorn flows into the oak, breath 
by breath, season by season, 
not knowing how to be anything else 
but an acorn becoming
an oak. 
I remind myself of thisas the world around me tells 
me I am suppose to become something. 


I sit under the oak,holding the small acorn 
in my hand thinking -there is a grand mystery here - 
if I breathe and remember to sink my roots deep into earth 
and dream, then it must be the same for me. 
I will be what I am. For I see the pattern.



And in the forest, 
the mountain laurel is dreaming flowers.





Flower mandalas of white and red and green. 

 


 

Green and ancient growing things cling to rock ledges.

  

As the shadows lengthen, Pasha and I 
meander through hemlocks and 
gaze into pools of green, 

       

and dash straight up 
as far as we can climb
(well, at least one of us does)


and perches on stumps while 
the other one sits and listens to
raven wings beating air
and remembers the truth
of who she really is....

 



13 comments:

illustration poetry said...

beautiful oak, beautiful tree, beautiful forest, beautiful cat.

Windsongs and Wordhoards said...

Beautiful post, I could take a lot from this philosophy right now! I love the symbolisms and I love Oaks... Thankyou...

(oh, the word verification is 'ancestri' how apt!)

Dan Gurney said...

"And in the forest, the mountain laurel is dreaming flowers."

Wonderful meditation about the splendor of the natural world. Thank you!

Karen said...

I love Oaks, my favourite tree :) Thankyou for this.
And your cat Pasha is gorgeous! x

A mermaid in the attic said...

Beautiful post Valerianna! I have loved oak trees in my imagination since I was a child reading about them in the books I loved. But they are not so very common here, not being native to Australia, so I was an adult before I actually saw my first one. My parents bought an old house with a big oak in the backyard, and it became like an old friend. I was married beneath it, and farewelled my little daughter beneath it too. Sadly, my parents sold the house a few years back and since then the tree and house both have fallen victim to 'developers' eager to make a profit from a large block close to the city. But I have two of its oak babies in big pots, waiting for a day soon when we will move away from the city and find a space big enough for them to grow to their true potential. And where we as a family can grow to our true potential too.

Valerianna said...

Thank you, everyone... lots of great feedback and appreciation. Oaks seem to be popular - and Pasha cat.. though he hasn't a clue in the world that he's becoming known around the world!

Valerianna said...

Oh, and Carrie... love "ancestri" - I'm sometimes dazzled by those word verification things... on more than one occasion, it seems that somehow there was meaning there!

Anonymous said...

Such a beautiful world you live in, Valerianna, and your words invite us to sit and wonder with you. Lovely.
Zuzu

Cobalt Violet said...

What a beautiful post! Both in words and images ...

Valerianna said...

Zuzu - I feel that way when I visit your world!

Cobalt Violet - thanks for visiting and for your enthusiasm... !

ArtPropelled said...

Lovely post Valerianna. The oak tree is the first tree name I learned as a child and my love affair with the beautiful oak continues.

.... the mountain laurel is dreaming flowers .... I love that. Forests always have such a soothing effect on me.

Valerianna said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Valerianna said...

Robyn - yes, living here in very soothing... as long as the foxes aren't denning nearby!