It was just the other day, that I wrote you to say
That the heat was brutally excessive.
It was in the blink of an eye and the darkening of the sky
That the air wasn’t horribly oppressive.
And now that it’s cooler and we know what it takes, here’s to all that I say,
What a difference a day makes!
The best thing about having a blog on word press is the incredible diversity associated with the content, people and places that they are from. I have learned so much from so many different blogs over the course of the last year, and I find that amazing. If you are reading this then you know that my blog, “The Zen Hiker,” deals primarily with hiking in the Hudson Valley of New York State.
As you know, this is an election year here in the US. Whether you (especially those of you outside of the US) have been entertained, disgusted, amazed, confused or whatever, it is a long process that wears everyone down, no matter what side of the aisle you are on. I have tried very hard to not post any blogs about politics, because what I think about a certain candidate, positive or negative, really means nothing.Now, with all of that said, my question to all of you is this-Why do we place so much value in what entertainers have to say about politics? What is about being an entertainer that makes what they say gospel? Does this also happen in other countries? Please, those of you in countries outside of the US, tell me this isn’t the case.
I am specifically referring to the growing list of celebrities who are threatening to leave the US if a certain presidential candidate is elected. Where is the correlation that if you are famous because you can sing, act, throw a ball, hit a ball or bounce a ball that you are uniquely qualified to then weigh in on politics.? Here in the United States we do have the constitutional right to free speech and I am certainly not advocating anything else. But….why is it a lead story on the news when an entertainer has vile things to say about any candidate, left or right? Who cares?? If these people didn’t have press people, most of them wouldn’t be able to tie their own shoes without help.
I wish, that just for once, they would act in a responsible manner and just say, “Everyone needs to get out and vote for the candidate of your choice” and maybe, “Just make sure that you get out and vote.” That would make more sense to me than listening to the nonsense about leaving the US. Why???
Because they never do it. They never ever leave, ever. Do these celebrities and sports stars understand that based on political demographics, approximately 50% of their fans probably do not agree with their political leanings?
My point then is this:
If you are famous for acting, singing, throwing, hitting or bouncing a ball, then just shut up and act, sing, throw, hit or bounce your ball. If you are threatening to leave if your candidate is not elected, then follow through and do it, silently. Even though we all know you won’t…
Mad with passion, dancing, floating on soft brown earth,
Blue sky beckons, screaming naked ambition,
Traipsing through soft green tunnels that cling like a lover’s soft embrace.
Mad with passion, eyes ablaze, catching the sun’s soft rays,
The valley awakens, seeking, welcoming, fleeing the nights
Deathly stillness.
Mad with passion, the miles pass, each step marking unbridled pleasure,
A maniacal celebration of the senses, deep breaths taken in small measured stanzas,
That give into a desperate, wanting and measured desire.
Mad with passion, the miracle of the woods brings the soft kiss of the wind,
Caressing and cleansing every pore that permeates reality,
Allowing for that existence to keep moving forward.
I thought it was over, I thought I was free
The cool Autumn nights, the stars I would see.
September arrived and to my dismay,
Summers fury is back, to bake me like clay.
How long will it last, this unwelcome heat,
The sun beating down, frying eggs on the street.
Although I complain, I know it won’t last,
As quick as it came, more quickly to pass.
I don’t ask for much, just to be cool,
Why is it here? Just to be cruel?
Autumn came, with wind and gold.
-Henry David Thoreau
Autumn in New York, why does it seem so inviting?
-Vernon Duke
Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns.
-George Eliot
We talk about the disappearance of long warm days that have been saturated by the sun as the “death”of summer.
But summer must take leave, like wisps of smoke floating gently from a fading fire.
Lush green slowly turns into an umbrella of bright reds, oranges and yellows that breathe new life into a now chilled existence.
Natures chaos, its origins unknown, comes sweeping down and transforms the woods, separating the new brilliance from its lifeblood.
As the trees sway and moan in protest of a slow eventual death, the leaves fall with the rhythm of lightly falling snow, accumulating on the soft earth only to decay as the sun’s light continues its downward spiral.
With brutal awareness, the passage of time will soon bring beloved darkness and the promise of the next season.
The beautiful and precious cycle forges ahead.
Dark thoughts that mean nothing, do nothing.
Empty spaces spark a life that dulls despair
All to help crisscrossing synapses slowly melt.
A fire burning, ash in the wind that coats each reality in a soft grey cushion.
Anger seeking, sifting and reflecting years past with the future obscured by
Well meaning billowing clouds that slide across the sky just to fade away.
Silent cries become silent screams that convey anguish that has languished…
Chill
Cold nights rain
Collecting, bare skin exposed
Cool orb spins, drips and shudders
Liquid ice stone cold
Lucid thoughts
Fade
The Zen Hiker 