Monthly Archives: May 2021

Jeff Flesch 3:00 pm on May 31, 2021
Tags: , , , , , , nightsend, , , , , , tests   

Nights End

Photo by Diego PH on Unsplash

The view
from atop,
seems far to drop,
into thinking
and behaving
in new ways,
a fresh perspective,
is what they say,
can go a long way.

I concur
with these remenints
of the past,
and wonder, at times,
if they truly last.

Do we learn from
our past misdeeds?

And create anew
from a space that seeds
humanity,
with a newness
and a brilliance,
we can pass along
to all those who come
after we pass?

Questions to ponder,
and reflect upon,
as we meander
our way
through a kaleidoscope
of memory
and present temereties.

Knowing too
that these shall pass,
like all the rest. For, in
each moment
lives the gift of choice
we’ve been given, yes,
one of our true tests.

Study well, then,
my dear friends,
for the tests
continue to come
well into
our night’s end.

#poetry, #development, #future, #learning, #life, #love, #nightsend, #past, #poem, #poems, #present, #resilience, #tests

Jeff Flesch 6:00 am on May 31, 2021
Tags: culture, diversity, , geography, , , , , , , salem, silverfalls, , ,   

Willamette Valley Wanderings and Wonderings: Silver Falls State Park

Silver Falls State Park, Oregon

Instead of a diary entry this week, I’ve chosen to write another entry in the Willamette Valley Wanderings and Wonderings Series. Ready? Good, here we go.

Wanderings

Last week, I hiked Silver Falls State Park, which is just outside of Salem, Oregon. The park is picturesque and beautiful. There are two main trails that take you from the South Falls to the North Falls and back again, for a total of 8.7 miles.

One trail takes you down into the gorge, and winds you in and out of different smaller trails. Along the way there are 10 different waterfalls you can experience. I managed to see 7 or 8; and, they were stunning.

I started at the South Falls, which is where the largest waterfall is located.

Gorgeous, yes? Yes.

From there it is about a 4 mile hike to the North Falls, and along the way there are some very pretty landscapes and riverscapes.

Here some of the other waterfalls along the way.

Once at the North Falls, I stopped to eat and drink a little. At this point, you can hike up to the Upper North Rim, which adds another .8 miles to the trip. I chose to forgo that portion of the hike, and head back along the rim trail.

About half-way back to the South Falls, I descended again into the gorge. It was such a fun trip. I began the hike at 7:30 am and finished at 11:15 am. When I started there were only a few cars in the parking lot, and when I finished there were only a few parking spaces left.

Wonderings

As I hiked I reflected upon my time growing up in Los Angeles, and the privilege I had as a child, youth, and young adult. Privilege in seeing and experiencing so much diversity. Diversity in landscapes, people, places, well, all of it was diverse. Lovely.

For the past 12 years, I’ve lived in much smaller areas, and I miss diverse people and places. Yet, as I hiked back to the South Falls last week, I was pleasantly surprised by the flood of diverse people coming into the park and on the trails. Yes, I did also get a little anxious. Mainly due to being away from people this past year during the pandemic.

Yet, most of what I felt was the deep connection I always get when I’m around people. As a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP), I have the ability to feel other people’s emotions deeply, and can get from people, without words, much. Yes, it can be overwhelming, and, yet, it is also deeply profound. A true gift.

Being around so many diverse people excites me even more for my trip to Los Angeles next week, and for the coming trips I’ll take in the next few years.

Beautiful experiences, beautiful people, beautiful planet.

Here are some more pics from the hike.

#culture, #diversity, #experiential, #geography, #highlysensitivepeople, #hiking, #life, #losangeles, #love, #oregon, #salem, #silverfalls, #travel, #waterfalls, #willamettevalleyhiking

Jeff Flesch 6:00 am on May 30, 2021
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Dancing Trees

Photo by Studio Dekorasyon on Unsplash

Have you ever seen
a treen
dancing brilliantly,
just as the wind
whips up and flows
gently among
the branches and
the tender fibers of it’s being,
ever so elegantly?

Walking along the sidewalk,
cracks in its façade,
breaking,
yet whole and solidifying.

The wind behind you,
moving
you forward,
just as you are pulled
into another dimension
of being;

and,

you look up
to witness
Nature smiling,
while continually
providing you
clues

to our existence,
trees dancing
in the sunlight,
glinting and radiating
their essence
of everlasting delight.

You know from within,
they are
dancing for you,
and you pause,
to take in all of their splendor,
big smile on your face,
and you laugh and giggle
just like you did
when you were little.

Oh, the joy,
of nature’s gifts
bestowed upon
us all,
it’s enough to forestall,
while you continue
to watch
them dancing,
all.

#poetry, #contemplation, #dancing, #existence, #gifts, #introspection, #joy, #life, #love, #nature, #poem, #poems, #trees, #wind

Jeff Flesch 3:00 pm on May 29, 2021
Tags: , , , , , , ,   

Haiku #27

luxurious earth
underfoot, remain centered
in the multitudes

#poetry, #connection, #earth, #haiku, #humanity, #nature, #poem, #poems

Jeff Flesch 6:00 am on May 29, 2021
Tags: , , , , , , , ,   

Understanding

Photo by Huper by Joshua Earle on Unsplash

Inquiring within,
just makes you grin
while you continue
to ponder
and reflect upon
all of life’s wonders.

Connection so deep,
you hear the ocean
in every breath,
and feel the breeze of
it’s salty mist,
even after you’ve already
left.

Considerations run
along a thread
of time,
which is sublime,
and, at times,
difficult to find.

Contemplation
requires
a measure
of boldness,
to face
the pain
of another’s life
with stoicism.

Cradling love
in a basket,
weaved with tears
of both pain
and pleasure,
you realize
it’s in between the two,
where life’s requesting
a measure of your solitude.

Quiet now,
you listen and learn
about the riddle,
which perplexed
the mind
for a very long time.

Stillness requires
a sense of vulnerability
and resiliency,
to guide us to the table
of our
greater understanding.

#poetry, #contemplation, #introspection, #mindfulness, #poem, #poems, #reflection, #stillness, #understanding

Jeff Flesch 6:00 am on May 27, 2021
Tags: , , , , , , , ,   

Tenderness

Photo by Persnickety Prints on Unsplash and Photo by Glen Hodson on Unsplash and Photo by Ursula Gamez on Unsplash

Eyes shine forth, as
they beckon
and seize the caldron
of all that’s come
before.

Knowing
all they’ve seen,
relieved, and
shaped after a parcel
of the pear tree.

Instrumental in providing
a comfortable tether,
as reality becomes
show stopping
and compartmental.

Living
a life of their own
believing in all
that their shown,
and holding onto
the wealth of a

reality grown

from seeds
planted long ago,
cradled, tended, and
watered with love and a
tenderness all their own.

#poetry, #connection, #grace, #humanity, #life, #love, #poem, #poems, #wisdom

Jeff Flesch 6:00 am on May 25, 2021
Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,   

Confidence

Image credit; Mine

Mountains in the distance,
at times,
it’s how it feels when
we are apart,
not living in this instance.

I look out over the rippling
blue water
waving at me,
shimmering in the partial sun
on a day
that is mostly gone.

And, I feel quiet inside,
as I consider
the measure of our commonness,
and smile in the knowing,
that we
will harness more

time, as needed,

as we prepare
for the next confidence
of our
collective consciousness.

In response to the WDYS #83 prompt from Keep it Alive, by Sadje.

#poetry, #confidence, #connection, #consciousness, #contemplation, #introspection, #life, #love, #poem, #poems, #wdys