The Poetry Of The Valley And The Hills Poem by Keith Shorrocks Johnson

'The subtle source is clear and bright:
the tributary streams flow through the darkness.
To be attached to things is illusion...'

Every mountain is a source
And every source is uppermost
If time is sought.

Every river leads to the sea
And grades the hill-side slopes
If time is taken.

Everything that comes to grade
Becomes becalmed or stagnant
If time stands still.

Every step becomes rapid
And every flow a fall
If time quickens.

Every river is fit for its valley
And every valley fit for its river
If time is given.

Every upland is an encirclement
And every cup will overflow
If the hills rejoice.

Every tributary is a vein
And every vein flows empty
If time runs out.

Every main is a trunk
And every branch its subject
If time conquers all.

Every catchment is a system
And every tract is caught up
Time after time - over time.

Every juncture is a nice adjustment
Of feed-back and declivity
If time is not wasted.

Every estuary is a revelation
And every revelation a new beginning
At the end of days.

Every landscape has its own silence
And every moment is empty
If the truth be known.

Every journey along the way is a joy
That unites the source and the sea
If time flows freely.

'If you do not see the Way, you do not see it even as you walk on it.
When you walk the Way, it is not near, it is not far.
If you are deluded, you are mountains and rivers away from it...'