The forest:

I go here to be at peace.

My spiritual place that

spills its breath onto the world

in the bird’s call of morning

and the owl’s song of night.

Here is my serenity,

which is cold and refreshing,

my life-giving water.

Yes, that’s it. Life-giving,

bustling flora and fauna.

I take my walk through nature.

I move through trees, briars, and thickets,

the foliage crunching and rustling

as I journey in deeper.

Earth beneath the soles of my feet,

tossed my sneakers near an old cherry tree,

worn, serpentine path.

I find myself here over and over again,

and I promise every time:

“I’ll remember to write.”