They say a lot
About the wilderness.
They whisper fear
And fabled warnings
Meant for children’s ears.
They preach the beauty
Is of god
And man can only gaze
And wonder.
They clench their fists
And charge with promises
To keep it wild
To keep it free
To keep it safe.

I live inside a wilderness.
Behind my eyelids stand the trees
Under my ribs
Run rivers.
I whisper fear
And hear it with a child’s ear.
I preach of beauty
And know nothing of the power
That created it.
And when I clench my fist
And make a promise
It is to that deep dark forest.
Keep your eyes wild.
May they strike fear.
Keep your mind free.
May it shatter ignorance.
And keep your body safe.
May it move through the world
And leave magnificent marks.   

My wilderness is
Fearsome.
It grows darker every day.
I gaze and wonder.
The only god I know.