The scent of the forest
the silence of it
the damp
the frequent birds eager in their chirping
I am alive today
I walk in nature and this begins
the best part of a wonderful new day
I see beauty everywhere
which lets me continue to see beauty
all day long
and it smells like dirt and wet
pine needles softened in spring rain
a path with dips and crevices
low and high, a varying terrain
I’ve been here before but it’s as if
I never have
everything is new
everything is perfect
everything is easy
this is how we are meant to live
not distracted by modern demands and obligations
and tasks to-do
but at peace
at one with the earth
knowing our purpose
knowing our direction
if I take my cue from the trees
I have to ask why am I here?
They are here to stand tall
to grow
to wave in the wind
Why am I here?
What is my role?
Surely not to desecrate the earth
not to kill everything in my path
as we humans tend to do
surely not to mow down what is beautiful
in exchange for what is artificial
What is my role on this planet?
Because everything around me knows
its purpose
everything around me knows
its place
but do I?
I wonder
Spring trees flower and then the petals fall
it is such a short time that we have with
these pink and white and purple flowers
What is the purpose of its shortness
if not to show us how fleeting beauty is
how precious
how quickly beauty comes and goes
and what stays are the forks in the road
the evergreens
the circular route we travel
~ Upon hiking the grounds of Cranbrook, April 26, 2016