There I stumble by, trampling through the underbrush
Ducking under bowing branches and leaping over loose stones

I hum along to nature’s melody
The frogs, birds, and wind all break out into song

I hike along a gushing stream, babbling as it rushes around the shallow streambed
I lift my face to the mid-Autumn sky, letting the sun brush my cheeks

The clouds stir and the sun breaks through the looming wall of grey
Light filters down through the branches, faintly highlighting the environment around me

I spot a tree across the bank, the trunk curved at the base as gravity ever presently tugs it downhill
I hop across wet stones anxiously, scrambling up the steep hill frantically

I hoist myself onto the base of the trunk, gazing out over the stream, taking the view in full
Autumn taking its toll, fading the leaves; the broken sunlight glancing off the silver water

The creek trickling downhill, climbing over boulders and squeezing through breaks in the rock
The faint sunlight lingering above my head gives this sanctuary a serene feeling, magical, even

I close my eyes, feeling the crisp autumn breeze nip at my cheeks, my ears
Taking in the sounds, the smells, running my fingertips along the tree’s rough bark

Setting my mind free of its shackles, letting my imagination get the better of me
Sitting there, peacefully daydreaming, drifting in and out of time, visiting different dimensions

And, as my mind sifted through jumbled, chaotic thoughts, I sighed to myself:
“What a great afternoon”