11/09/2014

Writing Short Poems Hiking And Nature Themes

By Christa Jarvis


Throughout the ages, there is virtually nothing that hasn't been recorded in poetry. Today, computers make it easy to jot down ideas and cut and paste, rearranging them until pleasing rhythms and thought patterns are achieved. Internet sites accept poems from anyone, opening the doors of publication once controlled by publishers. Many famous poets have written about hiking, but it's fun to read short poems hiking oriented by less well-known people, too.

A hike is different from a walk. A walk can be through a parking lot, around a mall, on a sidewalk, or through a community park. Hikes almost have to be in the woods and/or the mountains. Walking is good for your health. Hiking is good for your soul. On a walk, a bottle of water is refreshment. On a hike, it may mean the difference between making the summit and being carried down.

Hiking immediately calls to mind leaving pavements behind and going where nature is unspoiled. If asked, most people would say that the scenery should include woods and mountains. People go out on week-ends and feel rejuvenated. The really serious hike along the Appalachian Trail. Some even make the round trip from Georgia to Maine, following the spine of several mountain ranges.

Anyone who likes this pastime will know what Gerard Manley Hopkins meant when he wrote of 'dappled things.' Sunlight falling through leaves onto the trail, fallen logs speckled with fungi, and the gleam of multi-colored pebbles through running water recall passages of his poetry.

The phrase, 'the march of the mountains', may ring a bell. This line was penned by Stephen Crane, author of 'The Red Badge Of Courage'. Anyone who gets high enough for a good view of the rank on rank of peaks in any major mountain range knows what Crane meant. The majesty of mountains is enough to bring out the poet in anyone. Robert Frost, who needs no introduction, wrote 'The Mountain', a poem full of visual pictures and the touch of mystery that mountains have always inspired.

Poets thrill to nature, using it as metaphor for human emotions and experiences. Emily Dickinson uses her unique perspective and syntax to create some of America's most beautiful and succinct verse. She writes a lot about bees; 'The Bee Is Not Afraid Of Me' is obviously inspired by an excursion into a wooded area far from downtown.

Reading poems about hiking might inspire people to put their impressions into words. Hiking, even while it might make people feel small compared to the vast sky and towering mountain peaks, has significance, and many readers like to share in the thoughts and memories hikers bring home.

Knowing how people have felt through the ages about natural beauty encountered back of beyond helps hikers give shape to their impressions. That is valuable, even if they never write short poems of their own.




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