What Is Said And What Is Real

Something I wrote in college, many moons ago

In the great Smokey Mountains

There are twin peaks

Called the Chimneys

I felt their call early on

And come here often

The people around here

Steeped in folklore and ballads

Call me the poet

Because I try to paint with words

What I see with my eyes

 

At this moment

It is mid-autumn

And the wind has hints of an early snow

The trees are bare

Elegant in their simplicity

There is peace here

And solitude

I guess you might even say

There’s magic

If you want to include the legends

And the sunrises

 

Every writer must have a place to call their own

A place that inspires their inner flow

Even though my old creative writing instructor

Said that no one wants to read

About mountains

He said we must write something people can

Relate to

Usually that means something tragic

I didn’t agree then and

I don’t agree now

 

There are fresh images here

The landscape always wears a new face

There’s a solidness here

There’s strength

And endurance

And an inescapable beauty even time cannot wither

Heartache, sorrow, emotions, love, life, yes

Even poetry will pass eventually

But mountains are real

And they will endure

Long after my words (and his)

Are fading inkless echoes

 

Last night

A deer visited the salt lick

I placed not a hundred feet from my door

He watched me watching him

The stars crowning his antlers

And the lantern light melting his eyes

Into his soul

Which whispered to me its understanding

Before he bounded away

Into the night

Zoe Richardson

Author's Note

Be true to your voice, and what you are trying to say. Nothing else matters.

Reviews

[Chris Shaw]

I want to read about mountains. I want to read about places I will never visit. I want to take in as much about the natural environment as possible. You took me to those mountains with the imagery in your writing. I saw what you saw. I have special places. Most of mine are on the river. That is where I feel at peace. Mountains and rivers will be around long after we have gone. Lovely work Zoe. A delight reading you.

Chris

[Zoe Richardson]

Thank you so much! You really seem to identify with this, and that is the whole point.

[Chris Shaw]

The natural environment is very important to me. That's where spiritually, I feel at home Zoe:)

[Zoe Richardson]

Sometimes we need to take our eyes off our inner world, and focus it outward. Thank you for reminding me of this!

[shadrach hah]

Hi Zoe, I love the content of this write, I always love to read poems about mountains, lakes, rivers, streams, I love to read of the joys of nature but especially those granite spires that haunt my mind. You take us to the heart of nature, me, to places I may never see and I love that. Through your poetic soul, I get to travel and that is always important. This is a wonderful write, a joy to read. Have a wonderful Sunday. Hugs always....Mike.

[Zoe Richardson]

I love to travel through the written words.. I've crashed on many foreign shores through verse, and it's nice to know I can do the same for others!

[Fabian G. Franklin]

Lovely that you had that inspired moment with the deer. I'm reminded of the account in "The Body" (later made into the movie Stand By Me) by Stephen King. He sees a deer on his journey but doesn't tell any of his friends about the encounter because he reasons that to do so would diminish his personal experience, like fate had put that deer just there for him at that very moment. I understand those lucid moments of serendipity. I love my Appalachians and I wouldn't live any other place in the world. I did enjoy my trip through the Ozarks but mainly because they reminded me of home. I've been to the Rockies but was not so impressed, lots of rock and snow but not much inspiration for me there. The oldest mountain range in the world speaks volumes to my muse though. I must agree that our home shapes our inner poetic voice. Tom Wolfe said, "We can't go home again." But I never leave for very long and always return to the land of my youth in my heart, my writing and my thoughts. This was a delightful read. I'm enjoying my visit to your page thoroughly.

[Zoe Richardson]

I am a dyed in the wool hillbilly. My roots go deep in these foothills, and I cannot be far from them for long. I spent 13 years in Northern lllinois and almost lost my ever loving mind. The mountains know us, and inspire us in ways flatland furriners will never understand!

[Fabian G. Franklin]

"furriners"! (laughing) I love it. I tell everybody I'm just a hillbilly poet. If they choose to assume from that I'm less than an intellectual match for them, all the better! We hillbillies gots to stick together, :)

[Zoe Richardson]

Absolutely we do. Like someone said in a movie once. "Just because I talk slow doesn't mean I'm stupid."

[Pete]

terrific. i love it. nature is a tremendous gift and has much to say if we will listen. it is pure and honest and asks nothing of us. how great the visiting deer at the end. very thoreauesque writing. bravo ... :)

[Zoe Richardson]

Wow! That is quite a compliment. I appreciate your words, and your shared love of nature. Sometimes when you encounter adversity, you strike back with what you know and love best!

[jacob erin-cilberto]

they call you a poet because you are...
and yes, the mountains will be here long after we are gone, lovers of poetry never tire of reading images of nature....those poems can often take us away from the bad vibes we are dealing with and calm us.
It isn't just to share pain.
When our pens no longer move, will our words be remembered? Last like the mountains?
Not sure we will ever know unless our spirits can hang around long enough to find out.
j.

[Coyote Poetry]

I loved the complete poem dear Zoe.
"Heartache, sorrow, emotions, love, life, yes
Even poetry will pass eventually
But mountains are real
And they will endure"
The above lines were solid and true. I love the West Virginia mountains. Thank you for sharing the amazing poetry and your thoughts.
Coyote

[Zoe Richardson]

Thank you for those kind words! It is always a treat when you drop by!

[Coyote Poetry]

Was my pleasure and you are welcome dear Zoe.