From the first breath
the scent of the woods
enveloped me --
the musky air filled me,
reminding me of days
   now passed.
Was that your face I saw
half-hidden in the silent
shadows of the trees?
No, I walked alone
beneath the fragrant canopy
of hemlock, fir...
   and of pine.
There was the sweet scent
of wild things:
untended flowers, downy moss,
and all around me
every bough,  every branch
reached out...entwining
in Nature's safe embrace.
Fallen leaves
victims beneath my feet --
stirring up that heady odor
born of our season's decay.
The past, like sunlight,
filtered through the trees;
memories (like love)
surrounded me --
   arousing me.
I slowly closed my eyes
   (breathing deep),
and I remembered
the smell of your skin.