Still I lie down

Tags

bluffs, bobcat, comfort, gratitude, light, Montana de Oro State Park, morning, Pacific Ocean, sorrows

Dallis and I followed up our annual eye appointments in Los Osos recently with a quick trip out to Montana de Oro State Park (about 5 miles from our eye doctor’s office) on the central coast of California. After hiking along a trail overlooking Spooner’s Cove, as we made our way back to our car, Dallis spotted this bobcat. While she snapped several great shots (this is my favorite), I fumbled around with my camera and got nothing!

However, I did write this poem, inspired in part by the environment we were in and in part by the look in this bobcat’s eyes!

I open my eyes to the morning,
To the sky bursting with light,
The massive ocean-seared rocks,

The rolling bluffs covered in scrub.
On this bright, enchanting day,
The earth spins in desperate want,

And I am awake to its sorrows.
Still I lie down in soft blades of comfort,
Grateful for all that is seen and unseen.

12 thoughts on “Still I lie down”

Dallis said:

March 21, 2012 at 9:14 pm

Your words enrich my photos…thank you!!

- mark lloyd richardson said:
  
  March 21, 2012 at 9:17 pm
  
  Your photos enrich my words…thank you!!
  
seekthesacred said:

March 22, 2012 at 5:11 am

I am reminded of the time when my father first moved in with us. We didn’t understand how tired the leukemia made him, and he seemed frail and a bit addled. He kept telling us he saw a bobcat, and frankly we did not believe him. In time we learned his eye was as sharp as your wife’s. Even in them midst of hid decline, he could see things we simply missed. Thank you for the reminder of what he meant to us, particularly in those last few years. Oh, and you may want ot copyright the photo as well.

- mark lloyd richardson said:
  
  March 22, 2012 at 9:02 am
  
  Thanks for sharing about your father, Connie, and for visiting my blog. ~ Mark
  
Steve said:

March 22, 2012 at 9:05 am

Really nice photo and thoughts! I especially liked seeing the bobcat because Shirley’s sister talks about them near her house off Los Osos Rd. all the time, but nver had a picture.

- mark lloyd richardson said:
  
  March 22, 2012 at 9:20 am
  
  Thanks, Steve. I think it’s a great photo. We saw this bobcat when we first got out of our car at the trailhead, but of course, he/she scampered off before we could get very close. It was when we returned later the same way that we spotted him/her silently peeking through the tall grass!
  
ltownsdin said:

March 25, 2012 at 3:31 pm

Thank you for liking my postcard fiction! You are a wonderful creative team. Inspirational.

- mark lloyd richardson said:
  
  March 25, 2012 at 8:11 pm
  
  Thank you, Linda. I appreciate your kindness, and I look forward to reading more on your blog. Mark
  
Marlene said:

March 27, 2012 at 5:51 am

This is beautiful ~ both the Picture and the Poetry! Mark, I hope to stop by the church and see you sometime soon ~

- mark lloyd richardson said:
  
  March 27, 2012 at 7:35 am
  
  Thanks, Marlene. It’s nice to know you enjoy my blog. It would be great to see you. Please stop by sometime.
  
Cynthia Ann Katon-Alfonso said:

April 2, 2012 at 6:30 am

Hi Mark! I especially like your poetry, it’s very inspiring and the picture of the bobcat is enchanting. Thank you for visiting my blog, I hope to keep in touch 🙂
Cynthia

- mark lloyd richardson said:
  
  April 2, 2012 at 8:15 am
  
  Thanks for your kind words, Cynthia. I look forward to reading more of your blog too.