The trail I walk is

Well-traveled, yet familiar to none.

Clouds can creep in, inviting

Unwelcome storms

From every direction, heard

And felt

Deep inside me.

 

The branches of the evergreen giants, gentle but firm, caress

My hands, my shoulders, my cheeks,

Remind me not to heed the rolling thunder.

The rains do not have my best interests at heart.

I marvel at their

Sturdiness,

Am so grateful for

Their love.

 

 

The sparrow who flits from embrace to embrace,

In my arms, the arms of the trees.

He has not walked the path as I have.

He seems not to hear the rain,

Feel it as I do.

I wish I had

His strengths

To be unruffled as he.

 

Many winds whisper

Nearby and far away,

Staying, going.

They send their voices to my ears

When the walking is hard

Lift me gently.

I am thankful for

Every one.

 

The doe

Who waits with a cup of tea tasting of

Her kindness.

Her voice soothes all that hear it.

 

The forest which surrounds me,

Each warm corner I visit,

Fills me with

Light

With every step.

 

My loves have guided me to

More of my heart,

More of my mind,

More of my peace,

A place I have only briefly glimpsed,

Unseen until now.

 

The evergreen giants, the sparrow, the winds, the doe,

At my back,

In my embrace.

When the clouds skulk in

Heavy and foreboding.

When I cannot see

Past my own two feet

I feel them with me.

All the wonders

Which grace my heart while I walk

This well-worn, untraveled path.

 

They are beautiful.