The Forest

As I entered the forest My feet gained an uncanny rhythm Crunching below the surface of a hundred years The snow intermittently tracing the way It was a cold presence that surrounded me Though there was a fire inside my body That was eager to recall the people that crossed this path Recalling memories by the fresh water spring These memories were so vibrant As if my grandmother was still here Bending over to catch the trickling water in her milk carton Embedding a confidence in me about natures truth This was a time of reflection Witnessing the instilled values of this land The animals that roamed freely Fish that made home in the heart shaped pond The winter here brought such clarity As I sat by the fresh water spring I was eight years old again and an image of my grandmother picking nettles arose We were deep in the forest Listening with intention to her knowledge of herbs and plants Returning home to bask in our glory Large cartons of blackberries and raspberries lined the tarnished kitchen table The clarity I received Filled me up with love and respect For the arduous labor and sacrifice The endless commitment My mother grew up on this land and I wanted to know her then I wanted to go back in time and see her free, dancing in the front lawn My grandfather built the family's home with his own bare hands Putting his destiny into every slab of wood and brick he laid A fortress of his own making Part of me wanted to stay here forever Though I knew this was just the foundation A testimony to the lineage engraved in my soul Pushing me to challenge, create a new My roots had wings Just as my grandmother did when she fled Europe Believing in a life Initially unseen and unheard I will call on this strength For its power remains Revealing itself in the depths of the forest