Earth Pathways Showcase

When it felt like my connection to the land had been extinguished
I looked for the light and realised I was the light
I looked for the trees and found a forest growing between my ribcage
I looked for the river and felt it flowing through my veins
I listened for birdsong and a murmuration cracked open my chest
I looked for the fields and felt the grass growing from my skin
I searched for warmth and smelt a fire rising from my heart
it was here
all of it
It never left

Connection © Sophie Sparham 2023

A few stones stand between me and the vertical drop to my left. My legs shake but do not buckle as I stare down into the fields that unroll like a patchwork quilt. A few months ago, my balance would have faltered, my nerves collapsed, as I gazed down at the flight patterns of birds.

The dragon sleeps beneath me as my poles guide me across its limestone scales; a grass wave, forever on the verge of breaking. This creature is not a thing to be conquered, but adored by small footprints.

Slowness is key, there is no shame in this. No shame in tiptoeing across skyline, balancing my way across landscape. I was not born acrobat, nor tightrope walker, nor climber. Yet here I am, forever disproving my own theories, creating new myths.

The dragon will remain in slumber long after I am gone. And there will be others, so many others that think, they too, cannot withstand the climb, and, like me, will fear to slip upon descent. They will also learn how to control their pulse, discover that they are part of the view.

“Take your time,” my friend says. So, I grasp it, hold it close to my chest, as the two of us rise and fall like a breath.

The Edge of the Dragon’s Back © Sophie Sparham 2020