Lodgepole Pine and Moon Slivers – a haibun by Cit Ananda

Haibun: Lodgepole Pine and Moon Slivers

under the moonlight
a powerful night snares me—
confronting demons

Dictum suggests waiting. I do not wish to wait. The path before me is narrow but true. I take my first step as a chill rises through my spine. The trees open, shed their needles and dance as I walk tentatively forward. Where am I going?

The wind sings a whispered tune through the canopy of this lodgepole pine forest. It harkens angels and demons. The latter come first in the roar of the impending clouds and darkening skies. But once the rain begins, the whispers grow soft, and moonlight slivers the highest peaks with silver radiance. I am certain the voices of the dead no longer linger here, their silence a tribute to the way light flickers and beckons the heart forward. A quiet carpet of soft needles beneath the moonglow now feels like an invitation. I hear the music of the spheres in the resonance of the trees. 

And so, I step, one more step, onto the path and ask that the voices in my head that have been so unruly listen to the silence, listen for my footsteps. I ask that the wisdom of the sky flood my mind, knowing full well that this means these voices must eventually become the silence, cocooned in moonbeams. 

wind serenades trees
opal coy moon shines above—
my bucket brims full

Cit Ananda’s poetry is inspired by direct experience, captured in moments between perception when the mind falls quiet and deep silence shares an offering that touches the mystery of life. She will tell you she catches poetry on the winds of the universe. She has had work published or forthcoming in The Mountain Path, Tiferet Journal, Amethyst Review, Offerings: A Spiritual Poetry Anthology from Tiferet Journal, El Portal, and Medicine and Meaning. She is also the author of When Silence Speaks: Messages from the Heart, a full-length poetry book. Explore more at https://www.beingcitananda.com/publications.