A walk in the woods

A walk in the woods
with rises and falls,
road blocks,
peaks
and gorges,
a boulder 
you climb over
and triumph as you reach the top.
The summits you touch along the path 
have views of green hills
silhouetted against distant snow-capped mountains.
The lefts and rights you could take
lead to new ranges
that seem like new worlds 
full of things you didn't know existed. 
People you meet in passing 
might be lifelong friends 
or strangers by the fire. 
You get lost
but you could be found
in yourself
or someone else.
The sounds in the trees
let you know
that you're being watched,
kept safe by the flora and fauna.
You’re not alone.
You’re surrounded by 
a place that seems like home.

A walk in the woods
brings out the best
and worst 
of everyone.
On the steep uphills
that shine with morning light
where the average person
decides to give up
to the winding down hills
that follow the streams
and seem to go on to forever,
it's the people who
don't just look out 
but also in.
And when you're finally
all by yourself,
which in life 
seems to happen often,
the trail might start to end
into the stars 
you once stared at
in the long hours
after dusk
before the animals 
finally awaken.
And then, only then,
you too might belong
to this place you can call home

A walk in the woods –
All trails come to an end
as this one meanders
its way to its
final resting place.
The signs are all around
for only those who
know to look.
The once great trail
narrows and 
shows its time.
The sights from 
the weathered tips
of mountain tops
that now barely 
scrape the sky
are lost in 
persistent fog.
Those once
mighty gorges
have lost the
rushing water that
used to give them life.
Those turns that you 
contemplated for hours,
sitting on a stump
with your head in 
your hands,
come less
and less
as you follow 
the track
that you hope
will lead to home.

A walk in the woods –
has started to end
and dissolves into 
the sturdy oak trees 
and colorful maples.
As you dissipate into 
the stands of pines,
the glades of ferns,
and the rushing rivers.
You’ll look back
at the path you took,
the stones you stepped on,
the places you stayed,
the people you met.
You’ll look back
with accomplishment
'cause as your
wonderful journey 
slowly takes 
its last breaths,
as you disappear
when the spirits
call you back,
you know 
you're back to 
where you long to be –
a place called home.