The forest was flush with light;
The dew upon every leaf and bush shined like emerald tears
Fallen from the rhinestone sky above.
Hues and blushes of reflection went vibrant without limit;
All the things our eyes beheld forced us to soon shut them,
Or else the ability of sight would be no more.
The songs of fire-bellied sparrows and yawning owls that hid in tree-hollows
Echoed through the tunnels of our ears,
Into our pumping brain,
And then were sent down our spines in reaction.
We slipped off our shoes
And our bare feet sunk deep into the wet mud and moss that still held the chill licks from night’s tongues.
The layered breezes through the branches
Tumbled over our pale skins and whispered into the hallow spaces of our ears.
Exhale.
Inhale.
Every swish of forest damp air drained the moist saliva off our tongues
And carried it away through the windows between trees,
Far, far away…
Far away so we would never find the words we wished to say.
The splendor of the sunshine through the emerald trees
Upon our bare arms and legs gave us new breath to live,
New eyes to see,
New tears to shed,
New nostrils to smell…
The secret tide of all natural things flowed here;
In this place
Where our feet were bare,
Where our eyes were shut,
Where the words we wished to say were taken far, far away,
Through the windows between trees.