A person climbs a mountain
and sits on the highest ledge
to survey the landscape around
as if the answer lies below.
A person sits in a field
and contemplates everything
above eye level as if awaiting
nourishment if one only opens
his mouth.
A person strolls through the forest.
Smells fallen leaves decaying
underfoot. Listens to the wind
brush through tree limbs.
Touches a boulder facing sunshine
while the other side shivers
from last night’s frost.
Sees ancestral trees stretch farther
with each step no matter where one steps.
Tastes a long-stemmed piece of grass
with a flavor of summer still surviving.
A person climbs a mountain
because it’s there
long after the person
has descended.