In all my adventures two odd places quietly stick out, the road between Plymouth and Ann Arbor in Michigan.

That I ran at night, all by my lonesome, in hopes of proving that I could become an Ultra.

I ran 18.7 miles, in some 6 or 8 hours, and stopped only when I got tricked by my feet.

I could have done a marathon easy, but to this day, I am not sure how I could run two.

It was quarter way through that I found myself, deeply alone after a truck threw an empty beer can at me.

I snapped out of my day dreams, thought it was midnight or so.

And I realized how far I was from everything, how it was just me the woods and the starts.

And everything else seemed so disconnected, it was a pleasant, but unsettling moment.

A quarter way though my short shuffling marathon, where I never felt more alien, nor the world ever seemed more distant.

There was not much poetry in that moment, you could barely see the stars through the tall tress.

The dancing beer can that awoke me, quieted down to a perfect silence.

There was another such mysterious moment, in a little cove over by Michigan's Nordhouse Dunes.

The area was carved out by Lake Michigan, but the lake since receded.

Exposing all kinds of Lake Rocks, some of which were formed into a little castle creation.

By visitors that got there before me, I’ve spent a couple of days out there, collecting fossils.

I found enough to fill a small bag, each one intricate and perfectly unique.

But, mysteriously, I never felt comfortable there.

I went up and down the dunes, left my own rock creations.

I remember eating there, and returning to the place next couple of years.

But it was never, an ordinary place.

And I’d sometimes check for footprints, and bears.

It was eerie, but not uninviting.

Just a natural rock expose, that stayed in my memory as strange.

Which brings us to the star of this eerie poem, the Ancient Porcupine, also from Nordhouse

The moment lasted long enough for me to capture a blurry video, that was since lost to history.

I guess I always thought, that a porcupine was the size of large Hedgehog.

This porcupine was the size of a large dog, it immediately seemed ancient to me.

I jumped out of my car once she crossed the road, and tried to film her – she quickly disappeared into the woods.

Never seen one before, haven't seen one since.

But I think about her as the greatest creature I’ve ever come across, in my little wilderness adventures.

More than the tamed deer at the State park, or hungry Coyotes, or the promised black bear that had people putting up “This is Bear Cuntry” signs.

She is the most mysterious and picturesque, of all the creatures I’ve encountered.

If you are like I was, from a part of the world, where they don’t exist.

Know that if a porcupine ever started chasing you, you’d no doubt become a marathon runner, no quibble nor doubt.

When I was little I’ve visited castle ruins, and battle fields, bone churches, underground dwellings, and caves.

I’ve even bicycled to lake Eerie, which had a pleasant little park, though I’ve barely stayed.

Having realized, that the half a day trip, was only half the trip, as I now had to bicycle back.

And I left I 5AM or so, and returned after dark.

I supposed being far and away from everyone, is what makes a place eerie.

I retrospect, going off on my little adventures, turned out to be a great treasure.

My precious little adventures now well set in history, continue to be a source of wonder, and like you see here poetry.