head to the hills

long weekend. indian summer. vague plans.  some spook for company. oops. wrong train. lets try that again. fever ray in my ears. ujjayi breath from a sleeping giant. this is us. clear cool air fills me up from the inside. deep belly softness. nostrils tingle. instant high beam at eyebrow centre. empty hostel. sun filled room. tiny cardboard squares. solar glyph. late lunch at the hobbit house. nachos and green frog. warning: very energizing. may contain traces of yerba mate. frontal lobes tweeking. it begins.

silver beads of prana dancing through my limbs.  urge to run and skip. random shouts of glee.  beyond the trail an island beckons.  ahoy there Hunter S Thompson, lets take a left. surefooted but nervous i follow in his clumsy wake.  perch between trees, legs swing in quiet space. sun above. earth below. we are here now.

light shifts. heat slips away. we scramble back up to find another vantage point. lady carrington will do nicely. dense peaks of cloud form just beyond Mount Solitary. we watch. waiting. eagles soar and dive. vivid blaze of cliffs against the gloam dressed in puce and mauve.  this railing looks a bit dodge. no wonder they need more then 2. sewer rat crawls out and expires in full glory. body aches with peals of laughter. eyes water. air cracks. gates of dark cloud open. spew forth grand arcs of atmospheric pressure.  run.  now through shadows, back  past the ghost horse to bow of the ship. there, see! super lumen pins of white and red on the crest of Solitary. they move.  fade . and again, there. outside flank of the ruined castle. add my maglite to the mix. work that shit mutha fucker. we are here. show us what you got. damn. wish they’d turn those big sister lights off.

supplies low. back to the mainland. deserted rest stop. warped dirty mirror twisting the corners of my vision. i kick open all the doors in the ladies just in case. outside. from no where appears rastadude with serious night vision. knowing look.  he denies everything in the blue hour. someone cranks rock the casbah in the carpark.  time to pull out the mexican sun god head dress. all is good. warm. black tom monkey tail doing his nightly rounds. he wants to tell us but has no voice.

we find them anyway. bathed in light from the moon tower, the falls wait for us. humbled by their prescence we show our gratitude by clearing the space. from beyond the yellow cast  darkness keeps watch as centaur and elfling frolic about the pools.  leap from rock to ledge up the watery stair case. waltzing  into the gloom, take my hand. strange glow up ahead. follow the fairy lights to the cliff. black sea of shifting shapes before. beneath.
silence. the planet turns,  just beyond my gaze. alone. here on the edge. fear. love is the abscence of fear.

now direction is lost. all lights are out.  merry dwarves sing in the park. keep vigil by fire. primal scent of burning meat. keep. walking. hungry, frazzled, cold we return.  pull mattresses off bunks. lie on the floor. body heat. moon in the window now. dark clouds creep across. soft touch on broken bone. breath.

breakfast of champions. pancakes with blueberries, another  frog, best ever eggs. lying on the grass.  soak up solar radiance .   retrace our steps.  find green lost and dino bird flightless. perception is sluggish. visit the gilroys.  thank you for having us. carb loaded hot chips, scallops with the lot. it is dark again. sleepy train. wake up laughing.  this is just an experience.