A Walk in the Woods
On a day of vernal greenery
that borders posing scattered rocks
Spring renews hope in me
as ever looming mortality, I mock
I journey on a gently curving path
I hear noisy rattle echoes
'Tis a chime-like sound easy to grasp
of a Kingfisher lurking in a woodsy grove
Near the trail on my solitary stroll
water ripples under loose winds
My gaze is fixed on flashing gold
as it tempers the hidden Fishers ring
Depth of sky is reflected in the rushing water
that borders this serene domain
My awareness is engulfed by the golden fire
wrapped in the reflected roundness aflame
A ratatat, ratatat, ratatat, is heard clearly
deep in the woods it sounds
muffled by leaves unfolding early
a Northern Flicker drums on a dead branch found
Precious treasures along the trail
stimulate my senses as I journey slowly
hoping to see the Flicker sail
while he flashes his red crescent along the way
This season of renewed resilience
displays buds popping in every nook
growing in shaded silence
along the slowly flowing brook
The branch strewn path
winds and leads to a sunlit meadow
where shadows dance on blades of grass
the refreshing spring air is mellow
it mingles among wild flowers
and becomes part of natures masterpiece
New life is born of seasonal ardor
as it emerges from winter's sleep
Cascading puffs of cotton ball clouds
cling to mountain sides above the moor
The hidden summit mist bound cannot be found
it pierces the translucent curtain of a heavenly floor
White pines pregnant with pollen
dust the primrose and its thorns
and stand guard over brown cones fallen
as the Blue Jay sings his morning song
Needles of pine, gold and brown
are scattered among boulders found
as if by magic laid down
marking the path that winds around
through a ghostly birch stand
conspicuous among the deep green pine
A gentle breeze whispers silent words I understand
while I travel feeling good in Springtime
Sunshine daggers stab through forest gaps
and I suddenly see blue skies
twigs I step on noisily snap
and feathered dwellers fly
I hear the song of chickadees
notice the shadows of branches on the ground
Hear the wind coursing among the trees
There is only me, no one else around
Farther ahead the trail disappears
and is replaced by the flowing stream
a gurgling sound fills my ears
and it seems to softly speak
as it cascades under a fallen tree
and between my now chilled feet
I stand happily in its crystal purity
In this majestic shrine of unbound beauty
I've experienced mother natures identity