leaves in a forest
worn by the ages
weary of change

leaves in a forest
let go of their trees
scatter the country
make room for new seasons

hold on…
breathe in all around you
before you let go

remembering branches
who reached to the sky
leaned to the light
who wore us so proudly
far beyond roots
all the old seasons

the leaves in the forest
thoughts of my home
thoughts of my time
holding on to a history
of all the old seasons

leaves in a forest
they scatter the country
they make room for you, love.
they make room for you.

Having protected these woods
for as long as I can remember..
the rains drops of April
to the leaf fall of September
The secret trees have grown
and I’ve defended their splendor.

But I could not have predicted
my woods sparked into a blaze
but the random storm lightening
leaving darkness,smoke and haze
I was cast out of my Walden
left with nothing but dismay.

No living timber to guard
only dead ash to defend
I could see no real purpose
No meaning to comprehend
I wondered if , like my Walden
I too should meet an end.

Whether provoked by perfumes
Or a feeling deep inside
I really don’t remember
But my eyes opened wide
And began walking towards
the foreign horizon with each stride

I walked through the tall grass
over blossoming landscapes
then I stopped to watch blue herons
fishing upon a still lake
(In my woods, I never saw them…
my woods had never had a lake.)

I marveled at new colors
I looked through tall grass
And I realized my tall woods
so guarded from trespass
Had blocked off the sun
From new splendors in the past.

Leaving behind the forest keeper
In the past smoky ash haze
Now becoming the traveler
New landscapes i will blaze
The world is to be discovered
on its endless highways.

No words need said, between
the old couple sitting
On a park bench
aside the clear reservoir
__Together__
they share their bread crumbs with
The clicking, honking, young geese.