Mile 513.7_____

Poems by New Yorkers posting on holiday from the Long Trail / Appalachian in Vermont, Greenwall Shelter, August 12th, 2014
He was one of the thru-hikers taking a zero on a rainy day at Greenwall Shelter. I told the sluggish hikers about the poetry project. He came to my tent and said, “I am a Massachusetts attorney. I am carrying human remains.” (He just send me an note. In New Jersey. Intends to bring the remains to the finish line – Georgia)

Stepping down from the
gondola topped peak,
over slides of marble.
A father with son,
but the mother is gone,
several other children with
other men.
Red X Salamanders must be
kept safe from errant footsteps,
nonetheless.
Each Salamander, a tiny
perfect culmination, taking its first
steps under the tree litter, the
belly much lighter than the back.
Now my pack is heavier by a
fraction of ounce, of the cast off
litter from an expansively
lived life now becoming in eternity.

Read a poem by Matt I.

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2 Responses to Mile 513.7: Jonathan B (Rikki Tikki Tavi)

  1. JMB says:

    Just a note about this poem, the day before I met Madeline (the poem collector) I met a group while on the trail who were dispersing the ashes of their relative and friend. Per the decedent’a wishes, they were giving portions to hikers to disperse on their individual hikes. I volunteered. They told me that she had loved to hike and wrote poetry. Meeting Madeline was indeed kismet.

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