Nature's brush strokes

Nature's broad brush strokes

By MADHAV KOCHUNNI

Altered map

Our annual fall colour drive this year was in and around Bon Echo Provincial Park. The two and a half hour drive from our house was further stretched by my wife’s altered map of driving through country roads, pottering around antique shops, fully appreciating the depth of colours by stopping at every whim and fancy, and directed by hunger and washroom breaks.

Mazinaw Rock

Some of the highlights revolve around a Buddhist temple [Orgyan Osal Cho Dzong] in the middle of nowhere, drinking moonshine with off-roaders on ATVs by an abandoned mine, staying at an AirBnB and meeting an Indian restaurant owner in Madoc, trekking up 100 metres up Mazinaw Rock, knee-knocking walk through another two hour trail, fighting the cold winds on the shores of Bon Echo, and making it all worthwhile at the marvel of nature’s colourful and masterful brush strokes.

Celestial dance

This pilgrimage happened during the weekend of Thanksgiving and days after I watched ‘At Eternity’s Gate’ painting the last days of Vincent Van Gogh. I had a brief glimpse of the light Van Gogh was trying to capture in all his paintings.

When I stood in the middle of the forest and looked up I saw the sun shining through the golden and red maple leaves. The celestial dance of nature before the shimmering leaves gracefully floated down to the forest floor, be one with the earth, and sprout again with a spring in April next year.

Colours of nature

Standing speechless on a Mazinaw cliff,
Struggling to pan my body gone stiff!
Colourfully intense are the strokes of nature,
Wonder what camera its beauty can capture!

Vibrant canoers tickling the playful waves,
Whistling winds tuning the rocky caves,
Anxious and in awe at the rock climbers’ might,
Needs a lifetime to take it all in one sight!

Welcoming hearts

What it takes to open their doors,
Heavenly smells, cats, dogs, and more.
Welcoming smiles from the charming wife,
Sharing more than a glimpse of their daily life.

Gleaming wood touched by that country charm,
Leading the lady holding on to my arm,
Up the stairs to a wider space,
The Airbnb room decorated with grace.

Count my blessings

Deep in the forests around Bon Echo,
Past the walking trails, deer, birds, and gecko,
Fallen leaves colourfully hiding the metal roads,
Leading to a clearing hiding a heavenly abode

Joining Buddhist monks with my silent prayer,
Insignificant as I am; stay in this life a naysayer?
Thoughts and emotions shedding on the wooden floor,
Cushioned by the blessings that touched my inner core