Something Flutters

Something flutters on fragile wings
a thought, memory of emotion long since abandoned.
Strengthened by sound –
the rise and fall of crickets’ serenades
crescendo carries it farther and finally
you come to me

In the air, amidst the snaking
silhouettes of trees and trickling light
our thoughts embrace.
You hold me there before the magic mist
evaporates. I grope around the empty space
and fog regenerates

Breathing In the Woods

The forest breathes.

I step off the pavement onto the soft baby bottom of the trail. Surrounding me is water suspended in leafy reservoirs, chlorophyll pulsing through every fiber. The mild start gives way to a strenuous climb – then flattens out again. Trails scurry to and fro, busily creating diversions everywhere.

Two same-sex bundles of tan muscle tone and aviator glasses sprint by, a Weimaraner in front and cologne in tow, trailing far behind. Father-and-son mountain bikes groan across rocks and roots, on the way to their future. Girly feet find their way along uneven surfaces.

A squirrel bursts with sudden energy along a ledge, a lofty bridge of bark suspended overhead. Boulders brag about their size as they dwarf passers-by, and the view along the ridge, a cunning robber, takes off with my breath tucked under its arm.

I catch it in time and suck in the life-giving force infused with emerald and jade. The forest breathes.

I breathe.