The forest breathes into the silences
and the sounds
…the bellows of the gods
Life breathing in
…waiting…resting…replenishing…
in the peace of nature…the infinite now
This deep inhale…the precious regeneration of the soul
the spirit’s manifold aliveness
in silence, in silence
Save for one lone chirp lilting from the treetops
and a bird taking flight…
…soaring…gliding…to the clouds
Foretelling the glorious exhale
eternally…eternally welcome
that rhythmic rustling breath
The song of the forest…the sweet breeze of life
rustling the trees…lifting them higher and higher
the leaves, the branches, the vitality
It’s a sweet soft symphony
the life-breath of soul- sounds…
each tiny branch moving with the air
And the trees dance
bowing their branches in grace
…raising them in celebration
In unison they rejoice
into the rhythm, into the wisdom…
of this lush verdant world
Then, that glorious pause…
the rest -note exploring eternity
dwelling in the expansive silent inhale
Save for the one lone chirp
and a beautiful bird flying from its perch
liberated into the clouds…once again.
-Judith Ellen Sanders
Judith Ellen Sanders is a full-time writer and painter with a Master of Science degree from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Her poetry has been published in The New York Times, Chaleur Magazine, In/Scape Magazine, and by the Origami Poems Project. Her website can be found at JudithEllenSanders.com