I woke up at 3:30, wrote this down, and 10 minutes later went back to sleep.

[panader0]

Breaking Camp

This was a good place to camp
the folding hills and the shade
beneath the trees by the water.
The land was inviting and nurturing
but it's time to break camp
and continue the journey.
The great fires we danced around
with such fervor late into the night
are beginning to fade.
The fires danced too, their wavering flames
played tricks with the dancer's shadows
and sent sparks high into the darkness.
Did they die out or just disappear?
Tomorrow we leave and scatter the ashes.
It's time to break camp
but I will miss this place.

[stonecutter357]

1. K&R

[Freedomofspeech]

2. Wow!

Well done!

[TEB]

3. Fantastic

[Atticus]

4. Very nice. nt

[2naSalit]

5. Apparently

you were on a pleasant journey!

[panader0]

6. I've had a good life, many ups and downs, but I've always been lucky.

'Knocks on wood'

[2naSalit]

7. May I ask...

if what you wrote was a reflection after being up a while (10-40 mins) or was it a sort of extension/review of a dream or just a sudden inspiration?

[panader0]

8. Not sure--I wasn't awake--it just showed up in my head.

[lark]

9. Cool, I love it when that happens.

Hasn't happened for me in awhile, but your creative juices were obviously flowing that night. Nice!!!

[Bob Loblaw]

10. That's good stuff

I can almost hear Neil Young singing it.

[lillypaddle]

11. Wow

May you awaken at 3:30 every morning and write beautiful poetry. I am here for it.

[Martin Eden]

12. Thanks. You reminded me of something

I like to go backpacking in national parks, forests, and wilderness -- and I don't get out nearly as often as I'd like to.

Days & nights in nature with no TV or social media or cars or the demands of work is necessary nutrient for the soul.

[panader0]

15. Me too. I spent a lot of time camping when I worked in the woods,

or when I first bought my property over 40 tears ago.
In my poem, the camp is this world, the fire is the spirit of life,
and the dancing and the shadows are the expression of ourselves
and our illusions.
I'm getting old and will be breaking camp ere long.

[Martin Eden]

24. Good metaphor

I'm 62 and still look forward to many years of hiking & camping.

In October 2002 my buddy and I did a 3 day trek in the Shining Rock Wilderness of North Carolina. We hiked from the trailhead just off Blue Ridge Parkway and hiked to Shining Rock, where we set up base camp for 2 nights.

In the middle day we hiked to the summit of Cold Mountain and back. Along the way we passed two older gentlemen , who joined us at the top where we took in the view and had a nice conversation.

They were doing the same trek as we, with a basecamp not far from ours. Cold Mountain was the final peak in their quest to summit all 6k+ mountains in the Eastern United States. They were 70 and 71 years of age. Two years earlier they had completed the entire Appalachian Trail.

My friend and I were inspired, and we are determined to return to Cold Mountain when we're that age (I'm 16 months older).

It's not the miles hiked or the elevation gained that really matters; it's the time spent enriching your soul.

[panader0]

29. I'm jealous--what a cool quest-- keep us informed (and maybe photos).

[Martin Eden]

42. I don't have pics of Cold Mountain, but here's one of Linville Gorge

I'm not sure if this link will work, but that's me on top of Hawksbill with Table Rock in the near distance on the left.
https://martysphotoalbums.shutterfly.com/1341#1293

[Bayard]

33. The same Cold Mountain

As the book and movie? Loved those.

[Martin Eden]

35. Yes, but the movie was filmed mostly in Romania.

The mountains and waterfalls of western NC are beautiful. I live near Chicago, and have driven there numerous times for hiking.

In the book he walked home along those mountains, noting the familiar peaks of Table Rock and Hawksbill. They are on the east side of spectacular Linville Gorge. I've been to the top of both, and consider the view from Hawksbill among the finest in the Southern Appalachians.

[calimary]

36. What a great way to put that - "it's the time spent enriching your soul."

We all need thoughts like these. Especially now.

[ancianita]

13. Is this a Marge Piercy poem? I know there's a collection of her poems by this title. Just checking.

[panader0]

17. I've never heard of her, (and me an ex-lit major and dropout) but will look her up.

[ancianita]

20. It's a beautiful poem.

[defacto7]

14. I hope that's not a foreshadowing of

your relationship to DU.

[MrScorpio]

16. I've created beautiful songs in my dreams...

Only to forget them by the time I wake up

[panader0]

18. I do the same thing.

I started forcing myself to get up and write them down.
It's usually just lyrics and then I turn them over to my pal,
a very talented guitarist, for music. I give him the general idea,
and a day or two later he brings it back all filled out.
Five new songs in the last coupla months, one recorded last week.

[ancianita]

21. Wow! Awesome creative process you've got there.

[calimary]

39. Indeed!

That’s so cool!

[SayItLoud]

25. Thanks for the respite from what is obvious

to what is also obvious but we often don't see.

[PatrickforO]

40. Sort of a Bernie and Elton thing you seem to have going.

Pretty awesome.

I don't do music or poetry - I do numbers and narrative, but I had a friend I worked closely with, and the synergy we created was much more powerful than either of us could have done by ourselves. There really is a magic in working together with the right creative partner.

[bpositive]

19. Thank you for sharing.

Wonderful poem.

[Trueblue Texan]

22. concise emotion.

Heartbreakingly matter-of-fact.

[panader0]

26. I had to look that up--I used to watch Seinfeld but missed that one.

[Anon-C]

28. A great poem!

[Docreed2003]

30. Incredible and Gorgeous!

Thank you so much for sharing

[Alliepoo]

31. Holy Shamoley!!

I couldn’t write something that beautiful on my best day!!

[Backseat Driver]

32. Wow - amazing clarity of sentiments - now that's poetry! n/t

[Bayard]

34. Native American roots?

Its lovely, and the imagery is provocative.

[panader0]

41. I'm one eighth Crow.

[Iggo]

37. I love when that happens!

[PatrickforO]

38. Well done! The age-old

internal conflict between contentment and forward progress. At least that's what I got out of it...

Beautiful poem.

[Mr.Bill]

43. I once had an Englich teacher call it "Painting a Literary Picture".

That is what you have done there. I feel like I was there with you dancing around that fire. I can see it clearly.

[lunatica]

44. That really touched me

To be woken up by your creative self to write this jewel is proof positive that the soul exists, whatever that is. The divine spark.