I slowed down my pace, sensing the forest’s palpable pull

Earlier today, on my daily walk through the woods, I noticed the trees were watching me kindly.

Calling
Welcoming
Here, Human, come, come near
Look closely
Here, Human, glimpse around
Touch and smell truly
Here, Human, listen with all your heart.

Come, sit and stay a while.

I slowed down my pace, sensing the forest’s palpable pull.
I sat at the feet of a young poplar, vibrant with sap, eager to reach high, the light playing with the rich shades of green of its leaves.
Leaning against it, I closed my eyes to listen to the sounds of the forest while the trees in the small clearing bent their gaze towards the creature in their midst.
After a while, I couldn’t say how long, I knew they would allow me to ask the question I’ve wanted an answer to since I was a child.

” Trees, please tell me.”

“How are we the same? We, Humans and you, the mighty guardians of the land?”

My silent query traveled through the veils that separate our kind from the living world we inhabit, and before too long, the answers came, softly, from the circle’s edge.

“We look alike, standing tall.
We are born of the infinite small to grow strong, reaching high.
We mature, change, and evolve. We become.”

“We sway in the storms. We obey the seasons.”

“Like you, we give comfort.
We offer shade, food and shelter to those who come to us.”

“Then, when the time comes, we fall.
We return to the earth.”

“And, like you, Humans, we leave a trace, for a while.“