by Kimberly Phinney

It is here, among the longleaf pines,
I meet my soul and cease
its painful longings.
It is here, I am known
and greeted by the earth
as it rises up each side of me—
blue spined and unfolding across the sky.
 
Here, is the poetry of life
God molded and stretched out in his hands—
made to lie down in painstaking beauty.
Here, I am taught and whispered to
and told things no man or book
could ever teach.
 
It is here, and only here, that I am understood,
by this land—
so grand and infinite—
living and breathing long before
my heart formed
and learned to beat beside it.
 
And where mankind grows most thin,
I can hear the rolling peaks and gold child ivy,
calling me and singing together
their wordless myths.
They tell me I am so small—
so ephemeral
—but enough
for them.
 
And they welcome me—
like clouds, like stars, like morning dew—
to come,
to stay,
to fade away,
and then
to disappear
within.

Kimberly Phinney is a national award-winning AP English instructor and professional photographer. She’s been published in Ruminate, Ekstasis, The Dewdrop, Amethyst Review, Calla Press, and The Write Launch, among many others. She has her M.Ed. in English and studied at Goddard’s MFA program in Creative Writing. She is a Poetry Editor with Agape Review. After almost dying from a severe illness in 2021, she’s earning her doctorate in counseling to help the marginalized and suffering. Visit her literary community here.

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