Tuesday 3 May 2016

A Land Beyond (May 3, 2016)

DSCF0176
Used with permission, from Mish.
A land
Built harsh
And to extremes.

Yet
If one looks
Very carefully
You'll see
A beauty.

Unlike
Anything else
On earth.

Reminding me
There's more to
Be witnessed
Around us.

Then
The artificial dualities
We have created
In our daily life.

Of black/white
Off/on
Or wealth/poverty.

Often wonder
How different life
Would be
If we had to spent
A week or two
There.

Without
Any of the gadgets
We have become
So reliant
Upon.

Therisa © 2016

Author's note: Although, I have never travelled, to the US southwest, the photos remind of my childhood trip, to southern Alberta and the badlands, that are shared, with North Dakota. And the rich site of fossilized remains of Dinosaurs and sea creatures, from long ago.


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22 comments:

brudberg said...

True... if we ever spend time in a place of such beauty we see how much less we find our artificial reality true... love how you used the nature as a metaphor and then went back to the way it's real

Therisa's World said...

Thank you, Bjorn. There's something, about the land that speaks to me, of this message that I hear.

AnotherFearlessYear.net said...

The Southwest is a lot like the Badlands. Both are beautiful in their own austere way.

Therisa's World said...

Sadly, Linda, we're destroying that beauty, in our pursuit of wealth.

Grace said...

It would be an adventure and eye-opening experience for sure ~ I love to breathe nature and enjoy it, without our gadgets for sure ~ Perhaps we will appreciate the sheer simplicity of life ~

Therisa's World said...

Sadly, Grace, too many people would be having anxiety and panic attacks, should this happen. But, it would give them, a new perspective on life, though.

De Jackson said...

YES. Perspective is everything. Well done.

Therisa's World said...

Thank you, De. Maybe, one day, we'll learn this lesson.

Sanaa Rizvi said...


Reminding me
There's more to
Be witnessed
Around us.

Profound!!

Anonymous said...

I keep hoping that society will circle back to this kind of simplicity, that maybe we'll run out of ideas for gadgets!... and actually re introduce ourselves to nature. Working with children, I get the chance to see their first time reactions to tiny wonders of the world. We could learn from this. Love your poem as it resonates well with my thoughts. Thanks!

tonispencer said...

Reminding me

There's more to Be witnessed Around us...very wise, very true. I would have liked to have seen the dinosaur and sea creature remains. On our coast in the city of Norfolk, is a fossil pit where you can dig the most amazing things....I liked this very much. And beauty is so very different. Well done

lillianthehomepoet.wordpress.com said...

Oh such a good question you pose at the end! We took tent camping vacations for many years, all through our childrens' growing up years and for a good number of years beyond. It is truly amazing how little one needs to live happily. :)

lynn__ said...

This reminds me of the biblical record; often a person spent time in the wilderness before beginning a life's mission.

Therisa's World said...

Your welcome, Mishunderstood. By necessity, I live a simple life (ie, live well below Canada's poverty line), so many of these gadgets are nice, but I can and am living without them.

Therisa's World said...

Thank you, Toni. One of my memories of that trip, is seeing veins of coal that you can actually pick up, on a nearby hillside, and hold in your hands. Or finding small fossilized shells, among the gravel, on the road shoulders.

Therisa's World said...

Lillian, my dad used to say, "give a choice, between a box and an expensive toy, the child will pick the box, to play with". To which, have seen it happen, with Venus, Squeak and Star, as they prefer my paper balls, over the store bought toys.

Therisa's World said...

Thank you, Sanaa, for your kind words.

Therisa's World said...

It's not just limited to Judaeo-Christian texts, Lynn, but to many other cultures and mythologies.

PattiKen said...

I'm picturing that time in the desert, listening only to nature and the wind. And then going back to "civilization"... Imagine the cacaphony! I wonder, would we learn anything?

Therisa's World said...

For me, it would be, the value of silence, and reflective thinking.

Carol Campbell said...

The lands you visited are very similar. They do bring out a kind of awareness. Love your poem!

Victoria Ceretto-Slotto said...

Yes, our artificial dualities stiffle us. I spend a lot of time in the desert and this summer visited ND for my husbands High School reunion--very definite similarities...except for the weather, that is. :0)

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