I, the calm, the mountain air, and sunrise,
Nothing is assured, but promise abounds.

I am here, Father, where you took me
Just once, but I have come here again
And again, and you are always here
Beside me, before the face of this high,
Sheer cliff—a cathedral, a monument,
A wailing wall, a refuge, a place of joy,
Of sadness, a place of hope, a place to be
Alone . . .

I, the calm, the morning air, and sunrise,
Nothing is assured, but hope abounds . . .

6 Responses to “A Cathedral Without a Spire”

1. oxygon Says:
   October 20th, 2009 at 9:10 pm

   I’ve posted at least once before about this place in the mountains west of Las Vegas. It is my enduring temple, a temple not made with hands.

   art

2. yann rolland Says:
   October 21st, 2009 at 4:07 am

   I like so much your poem Art, the homage to the father, to the nature makes some good to my soul.

   have a nice day

   yann

3. littlebeknown Says:
   October 21st, 2009 at 8:42 pm

   Sounds Wordsworthian — nature as holy, a place with a spirit running through it — I still am moved by “Tintern Abbey” though it seems a bit cliche of me. I’ve never joined the moderns and their detached sense of nature. Thanks for the very nice romantic poem. Jerry

4. oxygon Says:
   October 22nd, 2009 at 4:14 pm

   Detachment from nature, Jerry, seems an absurd idea, but you’re quite right. I’ll never forget a former boss deriding the EPA for it’s requirement for an environmental impact study for the possible location of a new airport. F- - - - -g tree huggers was oft repeated in his tirade. Though his attitude was of a political slant, I still see the element of “detachment”—a disregard for theappreciation and conservation of the natural world, and the spiritual affinity that I like to think I feel. Thanks for the comment.

   art

5. Ida Werrett Says:
   October 22nd, 2009 at 6:08 pm

   My kind of cathedral, Art. Oh, and I have been called a tree hugger which, of course, I consider to be a great honor.Sounds like you have found a holy place to meditate.
   Ida

6. oxygon Says:
   October 22nd, 2009 at 11:13 pm

   It is a very special place, Ida, and I am amazed that there are so many occasions to be totally alone there, in the quiet of the mountains, which helps to bring quietude within.

   art

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