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Hank Christensen
04-12-2010, 02:31 PM
High Sierra Morning

With morning's breath upon my face
I feel the majesty of this place
Song birds cry out their daily intents
A symphony warming their instruments

The lake's lapping water awakens my soul
Clearing mental debris that has taken its toll
A giver of life, a mother, and more
Gently kissing her granite shore

Alpenglow signals the coming of sun
Repeating today what always was done
The magic of dawn seeks to quiet my mind
Leaving body and soul completely aligned

I contemplate thinking of some delay
For last night the stars came out to play
My vision was clearer than ever before
Those galaxies calling my spirit to soar

My hands touch the ground, I'm beginning to see
The heartbeat of earth is speaking to me
All of these gifts are making me stronger
Perhaps I can dwell just a little bit longer

denise ippolito
04-12-2010, 07:06 PM
Hank, I just love the line "The heartbeat of earth is speaking to me". This really appeals to me and makes me feel as though I am there. Very nicely done.:)

Hank Christensen
04-13-2010, 12:19 AM
Thanks Denise. Summers in the High Sierra is one of my favorite places to spend time. The destinations seem limitless and everyone you meet has a big smile on their face. I tried to capture some of what I feel waking up in such a place.

Eric Virkler
04-14-2010, 06:27 AM
Very nicely done. "Gently kissing her granite shore" Well said.

Eric Virkler
Faces of Nature Photography
www.ericjvirkler.com (http://www.ericjvirkler.com)

Lance Warley
04-14-2010, 09:16 AM
"Those galaxies calling my spirit to soar" is the line that knocked me off my chair.

Beautifully done from start to finish, Hank. Outstanding use of rhyme and metaphors to communicate your feelings.

And the photo is great, too.

Very small suggestion: In the first stanza, you might consider deleting both "their" words.

Hank Christensen
04-14-2010, 10:57 AM
Thanks all for the positive feedback! And thanks Lance for the suggestion. I took another look at the first stanza (very few of my poems I ever consider "finished" - I'm always looking for improvement). I definitely see where you are going with removing "their". However, when I do so, I think that the rhythm of the words suffers a little. I took a step back, and was able to at least replace the first "their", which I think improves the stanza in two ways:

1. I am no longer repeating "their" in two consecutive lines, which (unless intentional) can sometimes sound pretty amateur
2. I now use alliteration in line 3, which seems to roll off my tongue a little easier

Let me know what you think:

With morning's breath upon my face
I feel the majesty of this place
Song birds signaling daily intents
A symphony warming their instruments

Lance Warley
04-14-2010, 11:49 AM
Both changes work, especially the alliteration.

Well done, Hank.

Julie Kenward
04-16-2010, 07:34 AM
Well done! I'm blown away by all of it, actually. The first and second to last stanzas really grabbed me, though. Excellent use of words to raise the experience of a photograph.

Kerry Perkins
06-19-2010, 12:12 PM
Beautifully done Hank! Lovely words and image, and I can relate - having spent many nights backpacking in the Sierras. This looks very familiar! Is it somewhere around Cottonwood Lakes or Horseshoe Meadows?

Hank Christensen
06-19-2010, 12:47 PM
Thanks Kerry. This was taken at Boundary Lake, on the border of Yosemite and Emigrant Wilderness. The trailhead is accessible via Cherry Lake. This is one of my favorite lakes in the Sierras (so far), surrounded by gently sloping granite - perfect for a quick dip on a hot day. The trail peters out at 11 miles (at Boundary Lake), so going further into the backcountry requires cross-country travel.

A few years ago I did a 3 day x-country loop from Boundary, scrambling up peaks and exploring river drainages. We climbed one peak, found a summit log (a mini spiral rolled inside a jar) that was started in 1972 and whose last entry was 1986! It was pretty amazing to think no one had been in that spot for 20 years.

Kerry Perkins
06-19-2010, 05:25 PM
Thanks Hank, beautiful country to be sure. Sounds like a wonderful trip you had!