I have come to arc pebbles into the river
talk with the cottonwoods
holding on tight in the wind.
In the distance, bruise-colored mountains
scrape clouds from the sky
send ropes of water
down to carve trenches
in the earth’s brown belly
huddle in small dark pools.
Like the mountains, I am perfectly lonely
the cobalt blue surface of the river
needled with light
the low moan of the wind
the dry grasses
the gray stones.
Yellowstone River—Livingston, Montana
Poem
Ruelaine is a poet, teacher and spoken word artist based in Lansing, Michigan. Her voice is both authentic and expressive, capturing the dynamics, nuances of pacing, and emotional color that brings a poem to life.
OMG! This is unbelievable! Where do these words come from? Rumi would say they come “from Beyond.” “bruise-colored mountains”? OMG! This is absolutely beautiful!
thanks so much for your lovely response
OH!!! am reading your poetry first thing this morning. Aloka didn’t have to encourage me to read them, even though she did. I knew they would be an experience to read. An experience that calls forth beauty, meaning, and vitality. What a way to approach this day “this magnificent and mysterious earth that we live upon calls out for our praise”, true, true!!! So appreciative of your writing.
“Perfectly lonely” evokes the holy solitude that we get from nature.
Yes, exactly!