Just above the tallest trees
Beyond the highest leaves,
Just past the thousands that I see.
A tallit of Summer light descends
Shines on then off the dappled scene,
And sails back out to far beyond.
These fragile leaves, what are they friend,
But a simple focus for the eye
For just beyond these summer ghosts,
Behold,
There begins the sky.
Howard E. Friedman. July 2026
Sky above Kakiat State Park, Suffern, NY (Howard Friedman 2026).
by Howard E Friedman
From melted snow the Kaweah is born,
Which carved the Crystal Cave from marble deep;
The steady flow of water, night and morn,
From mountain dark where restless spirits sleep.
The rapids roar in deafening, wild refrain,
While eddies swirl in pools of silent grace;
This river feeds the thirsty, sun-drenched plains,
I hold this sacred moment in its place.
It binds the heights of this vast mountain range,
Yet marks the boundary of the further view;
Since ancient times, the sages spoke of change,
A river never sleeps, its depths renew.
Waters fast and slow move on in their quest,
I still myself; the moment gives me rest.
This poem was crafted in collaboration with Gemini, an AI assistant, to assist with structural refinements and rhyme schemes.
photo: Kaweah River, Three Rivers, CA, the foothills of the Sierra Nevadas June 2026 Howard E Friedman
The Walk Ahead... 