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Northern Flicker at Nest Cavity, Tennessee Valley |
"You walk into a forest, you're not in quest of something. Suddenly you are struck by the wonder of this place. A woodpecker flies past; this tells you something about the wonder of the whole world of birds, of nature and so forth. And if you are a poet, you will attempt to render the quality of that experience insofar as it pushes right through to the ultimate mystery of being and life itself. That such a creature should be there! That the universe should be here! That's something that excites you to wonder."
--Joseph Campbell from An Open Life