It is morning
late August.
I am just
outside Santa Barbara,
gazing
into an amber jewel,
a gentle town
named Ballard.
It sits
quietly
outside time,
nestled somewhere
in-between
phone calls and eternity
where
tufts of green dot
slow curves, with gentle hills
as tawny breasts
of chestnut tan
russet colored grasses. Auburn
tinged strokes paint
whispers
of leather, lace and
a slower pace.
The grey slide of sky
hovers
above a morning fog,
drifts
amid a warming soilwith sentry’d verdant rows
intoxicating
the earth
where people of the soil
sing of sorrel, sepia and oak.
Aromas
of sage and lavender
satiate the senses; cleansing.
With each inhalation,
sighs release.
The earth
is thin here,
Sedona thin.
Light dances in this space,
sideways,
amid the painted cottonwood
always
changing, turning; compliant
and night arrives
only after the shadows
grow sky-echoes;
reds of Pinot and Syrah.
The stars gather
reverently
above, arching
in a brilliant canopy of
shimmering joy
in praise of their Creator.
Life, from this sideways view,
refocuses,
centers itself; down,
eases softly
upon the mind and heart.
Restfulness found
in this pleasant stillness; a plumb-line
for the soul,
as each moment passes
without regard for the next
in peaceful,
silent,
salient sips of awareness.
~r.
All rights reserved,
© December, 2008 R.G. Braley
(astralshepherd)
Author notes
Trivia About Ballard :
The latitude of Ballard is 34.635N. The longitude is -120.112W. Elevation is 682 feet.
Many scenes from the movie "Sideways" were filmed in the areas around Ballard.
The Ballard Schoolhouse (Est 1862) in continuous use since 1883.
http://www.ballardschool.org/about_us.htm
Home to the romantic Ballard Inn, Bed and Breakfast in the heart of Santa Barbara Wine Country.
http://www.ballardinn.com/
Home to 20 Acre Quicksilver Ranch with its famous Miniature Horses
Nearby Danish settlement Solvang, founded in 1911 by Danish educators, shares the same Zip Code, 93463.
Area Code Overlay 805
Wikipedia Web Site: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ballard%2C_California
.
Comments
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lovely
Reminds me of the little town in the country where I grew up outside of Denver. It feels like a place that is standing calm and still somewhere between all the hustle and bustle of the big cities that surround it. I love the way I can just smell the air and feel the soft breeze and the calming feeling that your poetry inspires. Just lovely. This gave me a melancholy feel. -
I could feel the tension sliding away from me as I read your words and the town unfolded before my eyes. It sounds like a beautiful part of the world.
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