The Woods

Deep in the woods where shadows hide, A hush enfolds the summer tide; Each rustling leaf, a sacred hymn, In nature’s heart, no light grows dim.

The towering pines reach for the sun, While footfalls whisper—one by one; The world outside begins to fade, As deeper still, my heart is laid.

The brook does babble, clear and sweet, While crickets chirp and frogs retreat; Each moment etched in time’s embrace, In woodlands old, I find my place.

So let me wander, lost in dreams, Where nature’s beauty ever gleams; In every bough and every knot— The woods forever, know my thought.

• George William Curtis