Zephyr of Time: Meditations on Time and Nature

Continuing with his meditative and spiritual essays on nature published in Canyon Breezes (Lichen Rock Press, 2015), Joseph Colwell explores the time of nature and the nature of time in a new collection of essays and poems. These essays combine nature with spirituality in a meditative style. They are reflective and personal, covering experiences over half a century of exploring and thinking of time and nature.

A zephyr is a gentle breeze, a mild west wind. The author grew up in Illinois and he will always consider that home. But the zephyr from the West pulled him and the West claimed him for the next 50 years. The zephyr drew him into his future, but it also takes him home into the past. The wind, a constant throughout time, has helped shape the West, with mountains, deserts, canyons and seashores, all influenced by the wind.

The question what is time? has intrigued him for much of his life. As the days and years added up to a lifetime of searching, the intrigue turned to haunt. We all are limited in our search and none of us knows how much time we have. The sense of urgency increases as our clock of days runs towards its inevitable end.

He is haunted by a past he missed out on. What did the passenger pigeons see and what did the last one think about? What were our ancestors like and what kind of world did they think they would leave? The author is tugged by the zephyr of time to go back, to go home.

The concept of time is like the wind. It is ephemeral, yet persistent. They are the same. We wish to ride on one and go back to visit the other. Neither can happen. Join the author is his search for meanings in nature and time.