Rare Bird Farm - Hot Springs, NC
Rare Bird Farm
Hot Springs, NC
Arise! Awake! Approach the great & learn.
Like the sharp edge of a razor is that path,
so the wise say - hard to tread and difficult to cross.
- Katha Upanishad (3-14)
I left Nashville in blinding rain. The sky completely closed off & forbidden. On each side of the road, cars twisted & bent from slamming into one another unexpectedly. Going too fast. Following too close. The thought persisted that the rain would let up. Soon I would see the sky. As I approached North Carolina in darkness time leaped forward an hour. Everything exactly the same except Time, which is meaningless & I felt like I wouldn’t make it to my destination. I was running late. In the rain. In the dark. In a new place. On the road & losing time, which is meaningless. Traffic thinned out & civilization disappeared slowly. I approached a mountain. The road became two lanes: One going up & one going back the other way. I ascended the narrow road fraught w switchbacks & curves. Ten miles up. The rain kept on. Visibility stifled by fog. I became light-headed & nauseous. Car-sick in the drivers seat. I noticed many churches hidden here & there along the way & I thought of the congregation emerging from their mountain homes handling snakes & charms. I could hear chanting maybe or was it the hum of the tires? I came to a place where the road fell away into a chasm & one lane remained. A makeshift traffic light. Red. I sat & waited & waited. I became agitated & wanted to go but couldn’t see around the bend. When I could wait no longer the light changed to green & I went on. Closer now to my destination. Soon a hand painted sign: Rare Bird Farm. I followed the rocky road & came to a place filled w light & life. As I approached a circle of people waved & rose to greet me. They were smiling. They had food. A place to stay. A handshake. A hug. Here is where you play. A beautifully renovated barn. Brand new & symmetrical wood for a stage. While I ate they brought out the chairs & set up the sound. They told me I was early not late. You’re right on time. The chairs filled up. We sat & talked & talked & there were many new friends & people smiling & inquisitive. Do you want to play now? I had forgotten why I was there. Or, maybe, just relaxed. I suffer from shaky hands. I suffer from anxiety & fear. It was minimal. I joked a lot & they laughed. We laughed. I finished & they asked for more. Afterwards we talked & talked. Suggestions & comments & comparisons. All one could hope for really. Did I mention it rained yet…? I finally slept & somewhere I could hear some of them still talking & it was a comfort. When I awoke the camp was shrouded in mist & there was a chorus of birdsong & a creek filled & rushing. There was coffee & eggs & biscuits & dogs & neighbours & more talking & more laughing & then… it was time to go & I descended the mountain down the other side headed to Asheville under a vast & blue & open sky.