Here I stand, naked in the rain
Senses alert; spirit alive.
Grayness blurs the view above
And greenness up ahead.
How the wind whips through the trees
Whistling of journeys yet to be!
Cool, slick mud against my skin
Wraps and coats my body whole
As the scent of moist, clean air
Tickles at my inner eye.
Down and down the droplets come:
Enough to whet but not to sate.
Enlivened by these simple things,
Into leafy depths I plunge.
Grit now seeps betwixt my teeth
As down blackened slopes I slide.
Malodorous minerals welling up
Send me not at all astray.
Branches prodding at my waist
Make this dream-come-true more real.
Boulders breaking in the sky
Give my spine a thrilling chill.
Cup and tire; paper scraps
Make the waters jagged flow.
Now it’s clear that I am man.
Now it’s clear that I’m alive!