It’s a walk to be taken alone;
company is distraction in a familiar
place. I’ll set off down

the trail kept by Mother Nature,
in hope that she will welcome me
with open arms – the thick brush captures

my soul. Fighting through the grown-
up thicket and grown-out branches
to walk a once forgotten path. Alone,

I’ll tread a new territory that can leave the weak
and strong beaten alike – even thick denim
rips with the sharpest thorns. I’ll fall to my knees

but the suffering is worth the gain
as the path disentangles to confess
a sunset brighter than the one that began.