Thursday, March 14, 2019

An Annual Ski Haiku Story

Heading out alone
Without plans or direction
I climbed the mountain

Left, right, left, right, left
Gliding with steady rhythm
I traveled along

My thoughts were my own
I found calm in the forest
Observing the trees

Eventually,
I reached the first ski shelter
And enjoyed "mountain water"

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I sat for a time
Sipping, thinking, enjoying
Appreciating

I put my skis on
And began climbing again
Still without a plan

When I reached Roundtop
Snow began falling anew
I smiled as I watched

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I snapped some photos
Observing distant figures
Emerging from snow

Adam and Paul, friends
Descending from the mountain
I called a greeting

As I had no plan
I opted to follow them
Back down the mountain

We zipped down the trail
Whooping and hollering joy
As we made our turns

Back at the shelter
We greeted many more friends!
A pleasant surprise

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Chatting and smiling,
We discussed where to ski next.
Off to the orchard!

Across the mountain,
Over a creek, through the woods
We emerged up high

Powder everywhere
It was completely untouched
Gleeful, we climbed on

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Upward and upward
To the top of the drift line
Smiling skiers climbed

Then, one at a time
They each enjoyed powder turns
Smiling all the while

I captured their joy
Moments of raw happiness
Preserved in photos

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The sun descended
And the skiers followed suit
Smiles on every face

Drinks and snacks were shared
As we reflected fondly 
On each perfect turn

While some continued
Back up the mountain for more
I bid them adieu

Left, right, left, right, left
Gliding with steady rhythm
I traveled back home

A night without plans
Became just what I needed
Funny how that works

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