A Peek at Paradise

A friend introduced me to Paradise Valley near Squamish, British Columbia, and I immediately fell in love with this hidden gem. I was mesmerized by the abundance of lush green foliage and moss covered trees....a rare visual treat for a city girl like me.  I'm not a writer or poet, so it's difficult to describe my emotional response to a place like Paradise.  Instead,  I'll let  David Wagoner, a poet, express my thoughts for me:

Lost

Stand still. The trees ahead and bushes beside you
Are not lost. Wherever you are is called Here,
And you must treat it as a powerful stranger,
Must ask permission to know it and be known.
The forest breathes. Listen. It answers,
I have made this place around you,
If you leave it you may come back again, saying Here.
No two trees are the same to Raven.
No two branches are the same to Wren.
If what a tree or a bush does is lost on you,
You are surely lost. Stand still. The forest knows
Where you are. You must let it find you.