A forest pathway I follow Through a distant misty hollow To a far place where thoughts unwind That's buried deep within my mind To the smooth banks of a clear stream In this fair dream within a dream My River Lethe gently calls And to her depths, my spirit falls In her sweet waters, I forget This life of sorrow and regret Perhaps this river, flowing free Will pull me to the endless sea Where Nereids live within the caves So deep beneath its swirling waves And lifetimes pass in depths pristine As sun glints through aquamarine And there one senses pure delight As currents dance in pearly light So to the sea where dolphins play On this river, I'll drift away.
Note: Lethe, from Greek mythology, is pronounced: 'Leethee'.'
This is a poem I wrote in 2009 after a walk in the woods. Last year a music composer contacted me and asked if he could use this in a public choral performance, and I gave him my permission. Am waiting to see how this turns out.