Ode to Sisar Creek - A Poem

Montaña de Oro, Los Osos CA

There is a silence in the unpaved woods
which puts my soul at ease.
Often times I linger there
’neath the canopy of trees:
sycamore branches with tangled hair,
trunks bending at the knees.

I have seen the way the branches sway,
dripping leaflets on the floor.
And like the arms of a loving father,
they shield from all the madness
lurking just outside the door.

I’ve watched the way the water flows,
soft and smooth like glass,
trickling lightly against its banks
with the gentlest caress—
like the brushing of hair from a woman’s head,
upon a lover’s chest.

This land is untouched, wild and pure,
its innocence stands alone;
of hatred and crime, and the passage of time,
these woods have never known.

I am content to wander here,
thoughtless and without aim.
For I’ve been freed, when all I need,
the pathless woods contain.
I care not for how much I do
but the peace my soul has gained.

And when I find myself in darker lands
where freeways pave the way,
where beauty is a billboard
and wisdom, its display;
I slip away from all the noise
and find myself returning
to that place where leaves fall in the creek,
like golden raindrops burning.

Andrew Sandahl (2010)