Leaves trembling in the breeze,
A low whistle of nature’s caress.
Green multiplied upon lush green,
It takes me a minute to process.

Each tree, tall and silent as a gentle giant,
pines and deodhars at the wilderness church.
The dewy grass and the mossy overgrowth,
This- all of this- is the answer to my search.

I stroll on, drinking it all in.
My time with these woods is dear.
I have to be back in the city,
and may not be back at for a year.

I see an inviting stone, which I decline.
I walk past a crooked tree, an overgrown root.
Apart from the slight crunch of the earth,
the silence is eerie, inevitable, absolute.

I crack a smile; this is what I wanted.
Some solitude, some peace, some calm.
Life keeps happening, always. My mind
needs this break from constant alarm.

I should turn back now; the sun sets
soon. Someday I shall be back here.
Maybe I’ll walk different paths for different
reasons, but the woods shall be familiar.