The Woods Are Lovely

“The woods are lovely, dark and deep, but I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep” (Robert Frost). The woods know my secrets For I open my heart In this enclosed sanctuary of God As folded branches draw my eyes Upward, ever upward Towards the emerald ceiling With a skylight From which streams The light of heaven Pure and sweet On my face The trees are my counselors Sacred dispensers Of the mysteries of God Sentinels tall and majestic Guarding my hushed sacred hours Of contemplation and renewal The would be silence Sweetly disturbed By the sounds of His creatures Filling God’s outdoor sanctuary With a heavenly hymn of praise Each trail leads me deeper and deeper For my heart longs to be In the Holy of Holies In the very presence of the Creator On holy ground Yes, Yes! He is here His presence Envelopes me After my communion The closing benediction of sunlight Guides me home The thinning trees whisper “Forget us not” stories to me As I pass them by Stories of long ago pilgrims From another time Yet one with me The same Pilgrims in search of sanctuary A place of solace A place of tenderness A place of discovery Where they come to learn The miles left to go Till journey’s end When they must lie down In well deserved sleep Safe under the shadows Of God’s mighty trees Resting, resting Blissful sleep In the Sanctuary In HIS sanctuary In the woods….. Eileen Manassian