Alone In The Woods

Between every two pine trees there is a door leading to a new way of life.

~ John Muir

There was no path

Needles had fallen from the pines, sunburnt bronze covering the forest floor

Stepping lightly

I embraced the quiet and all the creatures that I knew were there

But did not see

I told them stories, a traveler's tale

Of empty places, desolate towns and worried minds

Loneliness

The woodland animals, they do not know, they will never see

What I see

They know more than I

As they move about these woods, noses in the wind

exploring, hunting, imagination

They know their place

I sat listening; a lodgepole pine had a secret

I wasn't afraid

I'm not lonely

I'm not dispirited

Or disheartened

In nature, I am loved

I was alone in the woods

It held me.