Ashes.

Haunting, desolate, and eerie

Not a sound nor a breath among the trees.

Heartbeat slowed, footsteps softer

A presence in this dark sanctuary.

Time slowed, sound ceased, light dimmed.

What had happned here?

Natural beauty stripped away now laid bare

Scars left behind that quieted the soul.

Color returned, birds cawed the sound of rushing water nearby

Darkness was only momentary.

Yet something was left of the journey

Foreboding, ominous, tranquil.

Bright foliage leaned in from all sides

Welcoming to any that crossed its path.

Burgundy stained wood chips littered the ground,

Fallen from trees that stood pale and dark, each on their own.

Such silence, such calmness, such feeling

Left to ponder as the surroundings healed.

Another world among the trees brought inspiraton,

Traces of wonder and fear pushed to discover the truth.

Wild, untamed, dangerous

For such beauty, nature was its own creature.

Why did the path have such an impact?

No thoughts spread as far as curiousity.

Everyone has a dream, a happy place, their escape

Someplace to dwell far from reality.

My own sits in the forest among the wild greens

Where it has been disturbed, changed on its own.

Haunting, desolate, and eerie

A run along such a path left more than footprints.

It left a head full of wonder, overshadowed by fear

Blackened, burned, and solemn in the afternoon light.