Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, THE OJAI VALLEY, by VINE MCCASLAND


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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

THE OJAI VALLEY, by                    
First Line: Here massive, roofless mountains brood in peace
Last Line: For this one hour we have spent in heaven.
Subject(s): Ojai Valley, California


Here massive, roofless mountains brood in peace,
Touched by the wisps of cloud, a wandering fleece
Blown upwards into purity of sky,
Where they dissolve till all the blue is bare.
Under the water, leaves in thousands lie;
A pungent breath of sage is in the air,
Of wood-smoke, and the sweet decay of leaves;
Sycamores whisper by our cabin-eaves,
And are reflected in their white-stemmed grace.

O, the enchantment of this quiet place
Where aspen-leaves shine out in glimmering gold!
Great boulders, dimly lichen-patterned, hold
Fragility of ferns. Shy lizards disappear
Within some cranny, in a flick of fear.
A canyon wren, too quick for eye to follow,
Is lost within a living mass of oak.
O hush, and listen! Some wild creature spoke!
Was it a meadow-lark? Was it a swallow?

Our trail winds upwards, with a widening view
Beyond each turn, clothed in the heavenly hue
That distance gives ... Here we are satisfied,
For here the mountain deities abide,
And let us rest against their timeless knees
Until the fever of our lives shall cease.
Calmness profound to each is fully given,
For this one hour we have spent in heaven.





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