Being There

Afterglow of Tekapo

It is night. Can you feel that? That cold breeze that fractures your bones as it slices through your cotton t-shirt and pants. “Go home, it’s not worth it.” The battle with your brains soldiers, it goes back and forth till the exact moment  your legs want to parade in the right direction. You are here! You are alive to feel this feeling because as you imagine your warm cosy bed the outlook standing in this place is much preferred.  Take a moment to think. Take a moment to inhale that crisp breeze that you thought could kill you with its raw hands. It’s cold, but its freshness opens your lungs, and it fills your stomach with prosperity. So, take a step, go further along the shingle shore, farther from you’re bed, deeper into your thoughts. Be here. Be in the now. Look up.

Silence your fears. Be the outrageous teenager. You know you want to run, run into the night with all of your dreams. Place your head toward the ground and all of your gaze to the wild black yonder. Above, only pin pricks of light lead you to the middle of the celestial sphere. As the tiny sparks break through, just let them  burn a hole into your memories. A sky full of stars, is a complimentary refreshment that earth provides to stimulate your appetite for more.

You can smell the cluster of old pine trees that have wrinkled with age; their skin, carved by the wind that folds around them. Its roots that crawl to hold hands with the tree beside it, a helping hand to flourish a friend. Its crown dominating all below but lagging with the mountains above. Like a child it smiles with hope that it will be as big and strong as the mountains one day, but deep down he knows his older brother will always stand over him. Pines, they line the edge of the lake, the guardians of nature as they spread themselves far and wide, a green plate of armour against all forces of mother nature. They sway in tune to mother’s billowing winds and soak up her tears in times of sadness. 

Remember. You were told you could be anything you wanted. See where the trees look, toward the orb of the night, the moon. Could this be your chance to escape with your imagination. All alone you see yourself sitting on the heavenly body in the astronaut suit, miles and miles away from reality, but feasting your eyes on your surroundings you notice the flicker of life’s nucleus. Its Earth. Why would you want to be anywhere else? Earth, life, the sky full of stars, the edge of the lakes shore in the late of the night. Take a step to the reflected planetoid, shatter the face in pieces as you take a few more steps toward it. You have your feet in the water, and its reflection fades, the ancient man on the old moon turns on the light. At last, the sunrise.