The Forest

I walked within the forest deep, Where echoes deepen in soft volition, And dappled shadows whisper and sweep, An ancient maze of nature’s true mission.

The frosty air pinched at my lungs, And lifted songs from branches high, As nature hums through the trees’ tongues, While the sunlight sears the winter sky.

I lost a piece of my worldly mind, As I traveled on mystery’s glide, Along a path, untraveled, undefined, Where the great outdoors stands ever wide.

Each creature met, seemed so alive, In this hushed abode, my souls where they flow, And all was comfort, as I strive: To be part of this endless cosmic show.

• Rainer Maria Rilke