Numen Naturalis

A poem based on my walk in a riverside forest.

Who are my gods?

The trees & rivers, who I’ve come to know

Wild bamboo stalks, verdant in winter

I bow to the divinity within them

A barren creekbed dusted with snow 

Still currents of umber leaves

To it I offer libations 

The creek extending as a stream 

Frozen like glass, banks engulfed in reeds

I sense signs in the undulations of wind

The remarkableness of kami within 

The curved warps & unusual position 

Of fallen trees

Author's Note

"Numen" is a Latin term referring to a divine presence or will."Kami" is a Japanese/Shinto term meaning "that which is hidden", referring to the sacredness of certain natural phenomena.