Hey, thanks for being a part of the conversation. This is Forest Stories.
I'm the Poet in the Forest, a children's series that I pinned out
in the nineteen nineties. Now, none of it would be possible if it
wasn't for this forest right here in South Charlotte, North Carolina. I talk
about it so much that I thought maybe it's time that you get to know
what has inspired me for thirty years. Thanks for being a part of the
conversation. Welcome back to the forest. Today. We're on Heartbreak Hill.
Heartbreak because it is heartbreaking, so much history on this one hill that leads
into the deeper forest that which I live within. We're nowhere near the lake
or the stream. We're on Heartbreak Hill. I don't care how in shape
you are or what bike you're writing to get from the base of this hill,
all the way to the top is going to recavoc on your heart.
It's a heartbreaker, so much so that in two thousand and nine, shortly
after my heart attack at the age of four forty seven, Heartbreak Hill became
that one place that I needed to remaster. I knew that I needed to
get my heart pumping in a better direction and This is where I got my
heart rate up. Walk back down the hill, do it again, Go
up the hill, go back down, do it again. It was time
to strengthen everything so that my body could become healed and much stronger than what
it was. But Heartbreak Hill is a place that's visited by many other people,
especially the skateboarders. It's paved Heartbreak Hill, but the forest is on
both sides. The skateboarders come here and film themselves because the hill is so
tall that they are allowed enough space to do their art. Heartbreak Hill the
winter months where we have to park our cars at the base of the hill
because there's too much ice and snow for cars to get up it. Heartbreak
Hill. Maybe one time in the past, before where all these homes were
built, somebody planted the name of this hill inside our future hearts. Maybe
they fell in love and out of love at the top of this hill and
they knew in their moment of now that this would be a heartbreak hill.
Their life was going to change because the love of their life was gone.
Now where do I pull that from? If you look up the history of
Charlotte and this particular area, the owners of this land came here all the
time to be at the lake, to play within the wild roses, and
to eat the wild grapes. They would bring their girlfriends here a lot of
love. But what if inside this forest, the top of Heartbreak Hill,
to which I stand right now, maybe something broke up and in the tears
they said, I am broken today on this hill. It shall forever be
remembered as Heartbreak Hill. Let it ring into the hearts of any poet,
writer, or just listener that this hill is a place that changes lives.
Hi Meril, thanks for being a part of the conversation.