Better at 5 a.m.

Better at 5 a.m.

Flushed cheeks

Closed eyes

Deep breathes in

Taste the freshness

Pine needles and damp leaves

Hit every groove

tingling my body

Heightening my senses

                                    Like a drug

                  no need for money

with no consequence

misty eyed

                                                      and beautifully paralyzed

creating harmony

the way it wisps my hair and kisses my skin

soft it flows and settles around the highest and lowest peaks

bends with the shape of mother nature

its part of her

becomes part of me

as I hike and it fills my lungs

deep breaths in

its better at 5 a.m.

watching the glowing sphere come to life

surrounded by streams

pinks, purples, and yellows

creating Zen

the world and my soul

shed their darkness

wrapping up tight like a blanket  

I embrace it

As it comes in for a hug

I seek the refugee of peace

Only to be found in the subtle

Movement of the mountain breeze

That I couldn’t live without.