Alone in the Company of Ice and Rock
Alone in the company of ice and rock
Walking among mute and ancient companions
Elements that have roamed the Earth before life itself
Long before weary men left their footprints in the snow
Long before frantic men created the gods who then created the elements
Walking deeper into the cold shadow of the mountain’s crooked peak
A fragile tranquility settles beneath frozen feet
As the distant boom of ice cracking and falling and shattering against cliffs shakes the sky
This is a delicate peace, unearthed and solidified in frigid solitude
Far away from the ceaseless posturing of frenzied egos
Far away from compassion and empathy left inert and powerless
Far away from men made mad by other mad men
The feet turn numb and black as the cold chews away at once-pink flesh
The feet turn north to be enveloped by this profound and lonely serenity
To be slowly embraced by these ancient and steadfast companions
To be forever alone in the company of ice and rock
Photograph and Prose copyright Mike Yost 2016
Aloof
At the epicenter of this sprawling metropolis.
Walking though the unblinking eye of this composed chaos.
Solitude tightens around my chest.
Isolation cleaves away my bones.
And I ask how this is even possible,
So small and secluded among the masses.
Drenched in denezines.
But deafening silence is the only reply.
Photograph and Prose copyright Mike Yost 2016
One Sun-Saturated Winter Afternoon . . .
. . . I went for a walk by myself next to a timid, whispering creek . . .
. . . with towering trees accompanying me along the secluded path . . .
. . . and fragile fragments of autumn floating silently on the surface of static waters . . .
. . . beneath bare branches that applauded lightly in a brisk breeze.
And I realized that although I was alone, I didn’t feel lonely.
Photographs copyright Mike Yost 2015
