Jill ~ Reflections Of Us' photostream

Max Patch is a naturally-occurring bald mountain on the North Carolina-Tennessee Border in Madison County, North Carolina and Cocke County, Tennessee. It is a major landmark along the Tennessee/North Carolina section of the Appalachian Trail, although its summit is located in North Carolina. It is known for its 360 degree views of the surrounding mountains, namely the Bald Mountains in the immediate vicinity, the Unakas to the north, the Great Smokies to the south, and the Great Balsams and Black Mountains to the southeast. While the mountain was originally bald naturally for unknown reasons, today the summit is kept clear of trees by mechanical mowing.

Light and Shadow

There is a play of light and shadow,
the trees, clouds, moving with the breeze.
So it is with thought, in one moment clear,
in the next it is fleeting.
Light shines upon us inspiration,
and as it falls quietly over us,
our thoughts find a voice,
dark, diaphanous and true,
soothing; in the tone of shadows.
Sometimes the shadow, the idea is changed,
transfigured by perception,
from our vantage point, or by the light itself.
Some days they stretch long before us,
larger than life, visible to all,
Sometimes, even as we search in desperation,
there is no shadow at all,
the light is too direct, emotion glares.
At other times we find ourselves low,
lost within the darkness,
with neither light, nor shadow.
When our light is at it’s brightest,
and our voice, our spirit, carries an abundance,
it is then we are able to shine a light on others,
so that they may find their shadow, their voice.

~JMP~

Taken in the mountains of North Carolina this past weekend, it was a wonderful trip!