On Narrow Paths

(Mingo Creek Park, Washington County, PA)

On narrow paths
Among the trees
Not far from the early sparks of
The whisky rebellion
There is solitude

Each step taken
Connects the walker to the earth

Past
Present
Future

Noise is filtered and distant
Human activity mixes with
Contributions from nature

To the west
Children’s voices intersect
With communications between
Pileated woodpeckers

Today i walked in solitude
Amid human noises and nature’s song
And i am awed that each step
Connects me to the earth

Past
Present
Future

And as i wonder what sparks
In a washington far from where i sit
Will ignite
A walnut falls from a tree to the south and
I am once again in the present
Amid distant voices and nature’s songs

Paul Cech has been writing poetry since 1970. Several of his poems have been published as Saturday Poems in the Pittsburgh- Post Gazette and the Thomas Merton Center of Pittsburgh has published several of his poems in NewPeople. Read other articles by Paul.