It’s been some time since I did, but I like to hike a natural area 40 miles west of St. Louis. It’s officially named Shaw’s Nature Reserve and is part of the Missouri Botanical Garden, but locals still refer to it by its originally name – the Arboretum. It opened to the public almost a century ago in 1925, and it’s gradually grown and expanded over the years. Its more than 2,400 acres encompass prairie, woodlands, river bottoms, hills, and trails meandering all over.
When I go, it’s usually during the off-peak times during the week; the Arboretum gets busier on weekends. I follow the Lookout Trail, walk past the trail house and find my way on a side bath. Down to the trail that leads to the Meramec River. It’s a beautiful hike at any time of the year, but my favorite time is late fall or early winter (snakes in hibernation). When you reach the gravel bar on the river, you can find a place to sit and listen – to the river rushing by, the cows on the bluff across the river, and, most of all, the silence. You listen to that silence, and you realize you’ve walked into something sacred.
In her new poetry collection, Love & other Mysteries, Megan Willome, has gone into a similar silence and found a similar sacredness. Hers is a bit more structured than my own meandering hikes, but we both arrive at a similar place.
Some Thursday Readings
What Happened to the Age of Heroes? – The Saxon Cross.
“After Death,” poem by Christina Rossetti – Joseph Bottum and Amit Majmudar at Poems Ancient and Modern.
Poet Laura: A Cuppa Comfort for the Holiday – Sandra Fox Murphy at Tweetspeak Poetry.
Saying No to AI in Education – Allie Lopez at Front Porch Republic.
“A Boat Beneath a Sunny Sky,” poem by Lewis Carroll – Sally Thomas at Poems Ancient and Modern.
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