THE FOREST'S BLESSED ABODE
by Belinda Stotler
Come walk with me into the forest's blessed abode,
To see the wondrous beauty the Earth has bestowed;
We'll bask in the surreal splendor that surrounds us,
And listen to nature composing the forest's grand opus,
As sounds of whispering trees and burbling streams,
Send our minds wandering into a poet's lovely dreams.
We'll walk where sunlight sets the forest's leaves aglow,
Weaving open paths to dapple golden light on all below;
Where trees shade us from summer heat and harsh rays,
Freeing our minds so we can see Mother Nature's ways,
Of creating nurturing sanctuaries for life dwelling there,
To shield its tender wards from storms too hard to bear.
Come sit beneath the glowing embers of an autumn tree,
Whose rich hues are a natural wonder many come to see,
While colorful leaves glide down in a whirling course,
Like embers breaking loose from their flaming source,
Glowing for a moment as if falling to their ending fate,
Instead, nourishing Earth for rebirth into a new state.
The wintering forest seems to be a still desolate place,
Yet, under the snow and autumn leaves of a tree's base,
Beats the promising pulse of new life that patiently waits,
For spring's warmth and rain to open wide nature's gates;
Roam with me under the trees standing strong over it all,
To watch them quietly sleep until nature's beckoning call.
Let us stroll in spring's forest where we will reap,
The joy of Earth awakening its children from sleep,
And hear life's chorus and watch its offspring grow,
As waking trees renew their canopy over all below;
Come share with me the forest's spirit at rebirth,
So we too are reborn within this temple of Earth.
Every now and then let us answer the forest's call,
To come see life's beauty and the miracle of it all;
If we listen with our hearts as we walk among trees,
We may understand the message carried on a breeze,
For us to blend with the forest's spirit so it will beguile,
Us into walking under its lovely trees for just a while.
