My steps were quick
And my breaths were deep,
As I trotted through the desolate land.
The heart in my chest
Thumped faster and faster
As something behind me went snap!
The birds sung sweet sounding melodies,
But to me they were quivering rasps.
A squirrel jumped, a deer leaped,
And I cried out in a nervous gasp.
Then all of a sudden,
Out of the thicket,
Came a curious looking old man.
“My child,” he called,
“There is sweat on your brow.
And your eyes are as round as two dimes.
Your chest rises and falls
In a quick and paced manner.
For what are you scared of, and why?”
I mustered the courage
That had not yet been taken
By my terrible fears of Unknown,
And simply said, “Sir,
I’m afraid of the forest,
And everything that I do not know.
“Fool!” cried the foreigner,
“Stupidity, ignorance!
The forest is a place of such bliss!
The trees dance and sing in the beautiful breeze,
And the animals all perform shows!
The deer dance, the rabbits race
In and about through their dens!
Sweet smells float
Through the air to your nose;









And tunes hum while the spiders
Spin gems!
This forest is beauty,
A natural heaven.
I thought you had gathered that much.
How can you be frightened
Of this beautiful place;
How can you see it as such?”
Then this different thought
Passed in through my head,
And suddenly I felt burning shame.
I had taken for granted
What life had created,
And I wanted to start over again.
“Your right, my great elder,
I’m sorry to say.
But now you have opened my eyes
And my brain.
The forest is beauty,
An unexplainable feat.
I value it now,
Thank you so much, indeed.”
And on one gentle breeze
He floated away,
Up where the birds soar in peace.
And I stayed on the ground
In my new welcoming home
That would never again taint my face.