Go to the Woods

She spoke

Go to the woods
Go to the woods
Go to the woods
She spoke

Something has clicked in
I love walking with the trees
Ticks and dirt and sweat be damned
Something about the smell of the soil
My heart opens
My lungs open
My limbs expand
Even as I brush the damn gnats buzzing around my head
They chortle at my Deep Woods Off
I’m grateful for my legs and walking stick
Mustn’t forget that what goes down must come up
Not all trails finish in a loop
A lot like life
I think
Roots and wooden planks over bogs
Water crossings
Wobbly stones and balancing
There’s no guarantees
Up over and under fallen trees
Feels like the earth moving under me
The natural unnatural creaking from above
The sounds in
The woods
The woods
The woods
A lot happens when you’re alone
Deer run across your path
Staring
Are you friend or foe?
Daddy Long Legs
Giant mushrooms that could kill
Small berries that could save
Where Is The Blaze?
I could be lost but no there it is
My eyes align and I see the way through
Even as I tromp through calf-high in leaves
Heaven knows what I could be stepping on
or in
A snake?
I need anti-venom
Don’t think about it
You’re strong and the only way is through
I could sit down and cry but to what purpose?
The woods won’t stand for that
That sharp barked tree won’t have it
Keep moving girlie
he says
His old soul looking down on me and my pink flesh
Legs getting stronger
New boots digging into that foothold
Still breaking them in
I had a pair for twenty years
They have passed the torch
Time for the new generation
They said
Our time to rest now; we’ve seen the world - Thank you, dear girl!
A new relationship has begun
Laces will be tied
Lands explored
Molding just so
To my toes

The danger
The splendor
The freedom
The not knowing
The woods
The woods
The woods