John Muir Haiku

Yosemite
A view of the Yosemite Valley…

John Muir Haiku

Introduction

John Muir, the Great Defender of Wild Places, in 1868 started his long saunter into the Sierra Nevada Mountain range.

He spent four years in the Sierra’s and Yosemite Valley where he gathered information on local ecosystems through drawings and notes.  After the four years he moved to California to marry and raise two daughters.

He returned to the Sierra’s and Yosemite in the 1890s and noticed that industrialism had left scars upon the wildlife.  This destruction to the land broke his heart and he began his crusade to conserve.

From his “scribble den” in California he began his political battle to save what he called American’s Treasures.  The legacy of John Muir is his and his alone.

He stood strong as a thousand year old Juniper when he pushed for conservation with his own fists.  Through his political activism and lobbying he earned the title of  “The Father of America’s National Parks.”

A true American spirit and a hero to our land.

He stands in his hat

his white beard as rough as pine

a ghost in mountains.

The Sierra's
The Sierra Mountain Range one of God’s greatest gift….

I. Oh, John Muir

To close the car door

wear my dress shoes into sage

find the time to sit.

 

Inspirational

these generative moments

composed of static.

 

Notes played in wind

surround me in guttural

on granite boulder.

 

My eyes wide open

upon the granite and sage

notice my footprint.

 

In the distance gnarled

Pinion Pine fights against wind

holds its ground to grow.

 

This dry condition

a corresponding difference

in vegetation.

Sierra Mountains
Long sage filled basins…

II.

Long rocky basins

will collect all melting snow

to see full rivers.

 

Different breeds of grass

delightful smooth shallow shod

line the river banks.

 

Sierra Violet

in purple or yellow blooms

a kaleidoscope.

 

Hanging on ridges

or swimming with the minnows

life to the fullest.

 

Hard massive boulders

held in place by roots of trees

alter rivers course.

 

Form natural damns,

in a recessive order,

 and freshwater pools.

Yosemite
An American Treasure to be preserved…

III.

Where erosion brings

fresh nutrients to the soil

for flowers and grass.

 

A tilting pasture

natural hanging garden

eroding away.

 

Fallen trees and logs

haphazard in their placement

solid pine bridges.

 

Down sweeping ribbons

of multicolored flowers

take sight to their line.

 

These broad shallow streams

where the snow melt always flows

this product of thaw.

 

Damn rocks are packed close

near the pool I wash my face

above jagged peaks.

 

Nearby shore willow

grow in patches near a bog

where Mayfly sounds hum.

Yosemite
Heaven on earth…

IV.

Sierra Lilly

God’s perfection on Earth

displays of grandeur.

 

A squirrel scurries

as part of its daily work

gathering Pine Nuts.

 

On this great pasture

one deer illuminated

by the morning sun.

 

Meadows in thaw

virgin as fresh fallen snow

this gift to my sight.

 

Tempo of the leaves

orchestra of this grand world

holy precision.

 

My footfall as kind

as bears upon flowers bloom

or trout on the crest.

 

My Sierra home

through the season’s of my life

changes as I live.

 

 

 

Jamie Lee Hamann
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Jamie Lee Hamann

My name is Jamie Lee Hamann and I have a passion for writing short fiction and poetry. I started writing for TCE around 2015 and since then I have finished seven collections of poetry and plans for more. I currently live in Lemmon Valley NV with my family. If you desire to find my other work on the internet feel free to stop by my website simplepoetics.weebly.com. The website offers articles on poetry, poems, and links to all my other writing.

5 thoughts on “John Muir Haiku

  • October 19, 2019 at 10:58 PM
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    Jamie, this is a wonderful tribute to the great conservationist, John Muir and the beautiful lands he saved. Great write, Jamie. Thank you for sharing this important legacy of John Muir.

    PS: 1890’s should be written as 1890s

    Reply
  • October 20, 2019 at 8:15 AM
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    Thank you Phyllis. Made a few small changes including the postscript. His work with the Sierra Club and President Roosevelt should be included in history books. Jamie

    Reply
  • October 20, 2019 at 8:36 AM
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    What a delightful collection of haiku and beautiful images. A fine tribute to a great human in John Muir. Well done Jamie.

    Reply
  • October 20, 2019 at 5:23 PM
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    John Muir is one of my all-time hero’s – nicely done piece on him Jamie…

    Reply

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