On a walk through the wilds in quiet solitude
I turn from my path towards a short detour
At the end of the track the ground drops away
Into a great gorge
An expanse of space between where I stand
And the wilderness on the other side
In my mind I know you stand there
On that far terrain
The details of your surrounds concealed
By bush and tree and fold in earth and rock
I imagine on a clear calm day
Our voices could carry across the space
And we could each hear the other call
Feel a connection despite the distance
Yet even as this thought arises
A great wind comes flying from the east
Tearing through the gorge
My eyes captivated by its invisible passage
My ears filled with the violence of its roar
It rises with a seemingly perpetual crescendo
I remain a moment longer, withstanding
Before I retreat from the chill of it
Back to my path.

As I continue my walk, I see the other side
Your land
Drawing closer with the narrowing of the gorge
I recall another path I once followed
That leads to that far side where you stand in my mind
Across a creek sometimes swollen and impassable
A beautiful journey to a beautiful view
A cul-de-sac of delight
But with no onward journey
Only another inevitable departure
I see there is a place where paths meet
Yours and Mine
A place where possibilities are birthed
New ways lay in wait to be discovered
Futures spring and dance in the air
Specters longing also to be grasped and realised
Someday I may reach that place
And find you there
Under the meeting tree
Maybe I will pass it many times
Until one day I find your path overgrown and untrodden
Closed off from its lack of use
For now, I simply continue
Following my path
The way I know will take me home
And in a quiet secret part of my soul a voice whispers
May the spectral futures dance
At the place where our paths converge
Under the meeting tree
Where we can See each other
Face to face, Eye to Eye
Where we can Hear each other’s words
No matter how subtly spoken
No matter how the wind keeps blowing.

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