Listen carefully, my love
as we walk on cool stone slabs
curving through the woods.
Naturalists laid this path
so others could forest bathe,
basking in its mesmerizing calm.
Leaves rustle in cooling breeze.
Spring waters gurgle
somewhere beyond the trees.
Yesterday’s rains
still moisten fern fronds,
brightening their myriad shades of green.
White-breasted nuthatches
flit between branches.
Their low-whistled notes
accompany our slow meandering pace.
Hand in hand we walk through serenity,
our hearts, our spirits, melding into one.
Written for OLN Thursday at dVerse, the virtual pub for poets around the globe. Today, I’m hosting the pub and folks are free to post any poem of their choosing OR write a poem inspired by one of two photos I’ve provided, the above being one.
NOTE: and if you’d like to see many of our poets in action, come join us LIVE on Saturday morning, August 17th from 10 to 11 AM New York time. Click HERE, and then click on the link given for Saturday’s session. You’ll be connected to audio and video for our live session. Feel free to stop by, just to watch and listen, OR, if you’re so inclined, to read aloud any poem of your choosing. We’re a very friendly bunch. The more the merrier!
lillian the home poet 
Oh, I’m there. I recently found a tiny jewel of an urban nature center that I never knew about, just a couple miles from my house. This evokes that space exactly.
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Glad you enjoyed! Yep….finding a place like this is a wonderful thing!
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So peaceful. I feel like I’m floating on a cloud of zen.🧘🏻♀️
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Well….always happy to send out vibes of zen!
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Oh Lillian you have reminded me how much I miss the forest. I felt like I was there reading your lovely words. I have to look up Nuthatches. They sound so pretty 🥰
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So glad you enjoyed the poem, Christine!
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Beautiful poem to match the photo! 😀
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Thank you, Carol! I remember walking in this photo….when I took it….and just sighing at the beauty and calm!
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A wonderful walk through the woods!
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Happy to take you along, Dwight! Hope to see you Saturday morning!
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I will see you there!
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Hi Lillian, this is a beautiful poem. I love the photograph too. Thanks for sharing.
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So glad you like the poem and photo. I remember walking here…and taking the photo to have a memory of this beautiful place!
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Meandering sounds so much more peaceful than wandering, Lill, and your poem reflects the peace and quiet of green places. I especially love the sounds captured in the second stanza, and the coolness of the rains that ‘still moisten fern fronds’.
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I never thought about the different feelings in meandering and wandering….meandering sounds more calm to me. You’re right! Glad you enjoyed the poem. Hope to see you tomorrow morning at dVerse LIVE!
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Hopefully, our memories hold and a gem of a walk will always be there to savour, but just in case, capturing it in a gem of a poem is a good Plan B, Lillian…
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It’s funny you write this reply…..I often take a photo because I think it will make for a good poem….and also to capture the moment to relive it. Glad you enjoyed the poem and hope to see you tomorrow morning at dVerse LIVE!
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Lillian, that’s one beautiful poem. I really love hearing the sound of water just beyond the trees. They talk about it in daoism, where you know you’re still on the path when you can hear the water to guide you. This poem is a keeper, and I hope you put it in your special folder.
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Such a lovely comment to read. Thank you so much!!!
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You’re very welcome, Lillian.
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Makes me smile for those who forge the path that others can enjoy.
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Always happy to stimulate smiles!
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A delightful poem and photograph to bring nature into my room…Thank you Lillian! ( from Sunny (phew!)…Spain). xx
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Always happy to share nature…..and, are you in Spain? So nice to have you reading my poetry! Thank you!
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We retired here, from the UK, 24 years ago, and very nice it is too! Where do you call home? All the best.
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Sorry I missed the zoom meeting today. My wife was having issues with her computer not running right and I was working on it and got distracted and forgot what time it was. By the time I remembered it was 11:15. :>( I am sure you had a great time.
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I so loved hearing you read this one, Lillian! 🥰 Especially admire this part; “Yesterday’s rains still moisten fern fronds, brightening their myriad shades of green.” 🩷🩷
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