February 10th, 2012

I know the trembling of the leaves when the winds sweep through them.
I know what the white clover felt as it held a drop of dew pressed close in its beauteousness.
I know the quivering of the fragrant petals at the touch of the pollen-legged bees.
I know what the stream said to the dipping willows, and what the moon said to the sweet lavender. I know what the stars said when they came stealthily down and crept fondly into the tops of the trees.

~Muriel Strode, "Creation Songs"

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So, having finished my history project last week even though it isn't due until the 22nd, I spent today's research time reading a website of quotes about nature. The above was one I enjoyed, as in a few phrases, it seems to capture much of what about nature is usually uncaptureable: the feeling of "one-ness" that goes beyond the typical metaphor into actual being. In my mind, there is nothing more profound than reclining in a canoe in the middle of a still lake at noon, or crouching on a rock at dawn, with pink-gold light spilling over the tree line. My grandpa Rick, a forester, has a quote painted across a wall in his bathroom: "Trees are poems that earth writes upon the sky". Just think about it.

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Nature hates calculators.

~Ralph Waldo Emerson