In autumn,
In the middle of town.
Between one house and the next,
Is a small section
Where trees, brush, and weeds grow freely.
There’s a black dirt pathway,
Painted with fallen leaves
And accented by moss covered rocks,
Both large and small,
Smooth and gray.
They lay amongst tiny ferns,
Beginnings of trees,
And large roots just barely breaking the dirt.
One rock,
Near the far end,
Is the perfect size and shaped to sit upon.
So here I perch.
The sounds of this grove,
Are unique above all.
The average passerby,
Would hear cars driving,
As they move along the street,
About their daily business.
As well as the man in his garage,
Not too far away,
Hammering at some unseen project.
They might even hear
The mumbled speech
Or car door slamming,
Of others who live near this little forest.
Not me,
I hear none of these things,
For I have no desire to.
I hear the delicate rain,
Of leaves floating to the ground from their homes high above.
I hear the light and joyous song of a small bird.
I hear the blanket of wind,
Each time the trees quiver.
I hear our world.
Our world as it once was, long ago,
And as it should be.
I hear nature.
The ordinary folk,
Would send birds fleeing,
And leaves crunching,
As they walked hurriedly in the autumn chill.
They snap small twigs,
Stumble on the rocks and roots,
Cursing the black dirt.
Not me,
I do not rush through this tiny haven,
A piece of true life,
Preserved in the midst of chaos.
I sit here perched,
And watch and wait.
Watch and wait for the little treasures
To uncover themselves,
And the shy inhabitants
To put down their guards.
For I know
That if one person
Was to sit quiet enough,
Still enough,
Nature
Will reveal her beauty.
And her life will fold in around you,
Capturing you in awe.
Each plant,
Will become more full of life.
Each leaf,
More colorful.
Each sound,
More glorious.
And each creature,
More precious,
As it goes about its
Path of life,
Which is all the more heavenly,
For it includes no highway.
And I sit,
Perched in this autumn pathway,
Nature draws so near,
That its life and beauty,
Is but a breath away,
And I become
Just another creature,
Just another color in its rainbow of trueness.
Age 15