Reggae on the Mountain

I'm back from the reggae festival, and the one picture really worth sharing is of this amazing old growth tree growing on top of the mountain where this festival happens. The people who own the land are total nature lovers who promote off-the-grid living and permaculture, and they guard some very special trees on the mountain. Isn't that something?

Anyway, I'm now officially in planning mode. I'll leave in just a few days. I need to make sure my bike is A-OK because 700 miles is a long way to go on a non-operational bike. I am inspired by a conversation I had at the jam with a guy who has been spending the last 14 years of his life on a bike-- traveling, going to festivals, sleeping in tents, and sometimes situating himself in a town for a bit to work (and rest, I assume). What a great character! I told him about my mini adventures of the past and hopeful future, and he was really appreciative and warm even though I felt kind of silly talking about a bike trip with someone who keeps all his belongings on the back of his bike. It's a whole nother level that I just can't even fathom.

It was validating. We talked about the dangers involved, and the number one is obviously cars, but we also covered the fun topic of women traveling alone. I have bones to pick here, all the time, and this new friend joined me in picking at them. He said he rarely, unfortunately, hears stories from women who actually went on their dream adventures, though he sometimes asks female bikers if they ever consider traveling by bicycle. He said that usually they have some desire, but one of the consistent remarks is that they lack the confidence to actually do it. Dude even read a book written by a woman who decided to go for it, and then was warned and warned by everyone, made to feel insecure, even told to take taxis through cities she didn't know well in order to avoid dangerous people.

Trevor (I remembered his name! Victory!) talked about the confidence and independence required to get something/anything started, and how devastating it is to have person after person shut it down -- it adds a level of insecurity. I just had to throw this on the table because I know it so well. Luckily I have supportive friends and family, but the truth is, the most common comment I've gotten is "travel with a guy friend, don't go alone." I mean, right, to which I smile and say, "yeah, maybe." And of course, it would be really fun to do this with a guy or girl friend, but if that isn't available it isn't a requirement. And not everyone is equally pack-oriented. I like doing things by myself, and I can't help it. Of course I'm very, very aware of the dangers involved, which basically consist of badguys and cars, and I am already meditating on the fears I will be confronting in the near future. I am grateful that I'll have a chance to work through some of them and get in touch with my own instincts on what is safe.

So, thank you Trevor for the props. I also just wanted to post the poem I performed at Tayberry, and eventually I'll get my other environment-related stuff up. This one does potentially use a melody (hence 'song', hence all the rhymes) but that would need to be worked on a lot before I threw i up anyplace public. Much love to everyone, and thanks for reading.

Earth Song
Dedicated to Tayberry Jam 2010

May I say only as much as I’m brave enough to sing
may I say only what’s right or may I say not a thing
the hippies had it right when they said
if you don’t live for freedom, you might as well be dead.

But as much as freedom solves it also poses a question
what good is our freedom if we use it for destruction?
Hold me to my words until I taste them
watch me spend my dollars and remind me not to waste them
I wanted freedom enough to have it stitched into my skin
but I don’t deserve to fly if I can’t operate my wings.

Do we feel free yet, or just proud of what we possess
do we know yet, that freedom comes by taking less?
A rocket into space won’t save our little lives of little worth
if we forget how to sing with our own mother Earth.

Because under the pavement, she is breathing
and with every breath her lungs fill with life
and break apart the concrete as though it were sand
Her oceans become water hands flowing through those cracks
rebuilding our cities with flowers
and redefining our lines and angles with delicate vines and tangles

there is a thought in every tree
the grasses whisper
nature sees

I felt her eyes; they followed me
as I wandered quietly.
The presence of her frightened me.

Then I heard-- what could it be?
I thought I heard her whispering
and I stopped, frozen, listening.
There was a voice that spoke to me:

My children have abandoned me
they fear me now
they murder me
They wish to rid themselves of me

I heard the pain, the suffering,
then overwhelming, heavy grief
with the silence that ensued.

"Mother, tell me what to do--
Protect me please, I'll care for you.
I want to be your child, too.
I don't want to abandon you..."

But only silence-- no reply.
Just wind, just wind, or did she sigh?
there is a thought in every tree
the grasses whisper,
nature sees


One day my lungs will fill with earth
and only flowers will grow from my mouth
May I practice for that day by breathing out
sweet green songs for mother Earth’s rising up.

May my words be deeper than their form
may my words be deeper than their form
may I say no more than I’m brave enough to sing,
may I sing ‘till I can sing no more.