I Come to the Forest Alone

I feel the soft snuggle of the faux fur against my neck as I zip my jacket all the way up this cool, early morning. My feet step lightly as I move into the woods, the trail laden with amber pine needles. The first section of the path rises and falls, roots protruding, their sappy strong limbs supporting and feeding the tall trees that line our way. The boys (Corgis Pooka and Phoenix) scamper in glee, sniffing and snorting as they weave patterns following scented traces of all who have passed before, human or animal. I love this trail, a short distance from our home, especially the beginning where it is narrow and cozy and totally sublime in its nourishment. Roots exposed give way to a smother path, sandy soil alternating with verdant moss carpets like gentle stepping stones, carrying me onward. Ahh, here it is. As the trail makes a turn and my knees feel the downward tug, the Baby Pine Forest is on either side, their young bodies crowded together, spindly and competing for space as they reach high toward the light, reaching scraggly arms up and up and out, tangling together. When we moved here eight years ago, these babies barely reached my thighs, but now many are well over seven feet tall, casting a comforting shadow upon the path, enclosing me within their ion-rich community, and I feel their contentment, their ease of the moment. The quiet is bliss. We just had a lot of rainfall so they are flexible and drinking their fill. Their youthful vigor infuses me and the boys; we continue our walk, eventually departing the narrow trail to turn onto the wider one which is really a thin ribbon of sand and dirt used by snowmobiles in winter, and other noisy little ATVs on weekends in the non-snowy seasons. A tune comes to mind, I change some of the words, and sink into the moment...

I Come To The Forest Alone (click on this link for the video I put together in honor of the Divine Pine and Her companions of the New England woods). This offering is based upon the music of a gospel tune I enjoyed as a child; the lyrics changed slightly to reflect my soul's voice -- so, as I sing, please embrace the love, allow it to flow, and let go of the limitations of the singer.

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