breath —
a thousand eucalypts
and me

John Bird

The first line, if we like, may be read as a meditation in itself . . . in the very least, the dash invites us to dwell upon the word

breath –

such is the tenuous hold we have on life, one of the primordial rhythms of living things, fundamental to body and mind . . . How complimentary the breath of animals and the breath of plants, reminding us of the interconnectedness of all things.  How invigorating to be breathing among a thousand eucalypts.  One gets a clear impression here of a unity between person and trees; breathing in, breathing out . .  .  There is nothing like a walk through a forest to lift our spirits, places where we can reconnect with the natural world and so with ourselves

a thousand eucalypts
and me

a breath of fresh air

First Published: Windfall, Issue 1, 2013

Selection & comments by Simon Hanson