A voice rose to greet me in the forest
as if it came from nowhere
It seemed to surround me
pervading everything
It echoed
in the crackling twigs of my footfalls
the rustling in the sunlit leaves above
and the rumbling brook by my side
It came from the meadows
the animals
the sky
and the Earth
It swept over soul
like a mist rolling through the trees
and softly spoke
It wasn’t a voice
in tone or sound
but it bade me rest
for the tree
and the brook
the wind
and the rain
and the earth
stood and embraced me
with the warmth of a mother’s love

• forest
• nature
• silence