Cast upon this strange new shore,
_from when and where, I know naught.
My mind holds no thoughts of past,
_nor name, or what I had sought.
As I watched the two suns set,
_"a dream? or real?", was my thought.

Thinking did me no real good,
_having nothing to compare.
So I set off on a search,
_to answer; who, when and where.
Facing cliff, I beagan my climb,
_a day to reach the top there.

Exhausted, I fell and slept,
_awakening at next first light.
Tired, sore, and quite hungry,
_I gathered what strength I might.
With purple sea at my back,
_I started down trail to right.

Winding through dark, dense forest,
_of huge, tall trees, cool and lush.
A welcome sound did greet me,
_ahead, I heard water's rush.
I nearly broke to a run,
_as cool waters I saw gush.

Headlong, I plunged into pool,
_drank my fill, then rested there.
This place was so beautiful,
_with a sweetness to the air.
The water had renewed me,
_I felt new and strong, I swear.

I know naught how long I walked,
_through that forest, ever dim.
When I rounded a bend in trail,
_and stood upon valley rim.
So in awe, at what I saw,
_I sat upon a nearby limb.

Before me, lay a valley,
_as long as the eye could see,
And near as wide, but ending,
_in mountains, steep and lofty.
Deep purple, wearing green clouds,
_so their true height hid from me.

Waterfalls rained purple plumes,
_from high upon mountain walls.
Lavender cascades frothed low,
_and mixed with pink mist of falls.
While birds of all kind and color,
_soared as they spoke their strange calls.

Then a plume of smoke caught eye,
_way down, from valley floor.
My heart raced and my mind whirled,
_"I'm not alone, their are more."
"It's surely a campfire,
_it just has to be", I swore.

Suddenly, it dawned on me,
_and I searched my pockets there.
"Yes!", I still do have matches,
_handling them with care.
Things were starting to look up,
_as I watched my fire blare.

While I watched the flames flicker,
_fatigue soon put me to sleep.
At dawn, I woke with a start,
_and made my feet with a leap.
When my mind began to clear,
_to valley rim, I did creep.

the story continues with
part II....The Valley

440S.
2000