Along the lakeshore’s forest trail,
with birdsong as company.
I find the bright white of bunchberry
illumining the dim floor,
though small and simple in construct and color
reveal elegance of form to my eye
with repetition of a favored number:
four gently curved petal-like bracts
surrounded by four deeply veined leaves
together fashion rings of white and green
around a lackluster cluster
of minute flowers.
My step enlivened, I move on,
see that starflowers have started to wane,
their points withering from decay,
while aster bulbs of Canada mayflower
engulf the forest floor with
thousands of tiny white flames.
The trail soon wends along a stream
where pink of meadow beauty
colors the banks. I dip my nose down
to blossoms with scent
reminiscent of honeysuckle,
sweeter even than roses, so I linger,
receive the aromatic gift
that lifts in the breeze,
remain at the water’s edge
my seat, a stone,
my cushion, wet moss,
and remember how I long to see
lady’s slipper
that thrives in acidic soil
with mycorrhizae, its ally,
and often in the company of
starflowers. So I turn from the water
look uphill into pine woodland,
see a ring of pink moccasins
around an enormous white pine
as if in ritual gathering
honoring a mother tree,
as from beyond, the tinkling lute
of a hermit thrush calls me home
to the spring woods.
Poem by Roxanne Bogart
Roxanne E. Bogart is a wildlife biologist and writer, whose poems have appeared in The Tiny Seed Literary Journal, The Burlington Poetry Journal, The Silkworm, and Poetry Quarterly. Her illustrated full-length book of poetry entitled All That Sustains was published in September 2022 and available through Off The Common Books or her website roxannebogart.com. She spends her personal time hiking in the woods and meadows of Western Massachusetts, where she gathers inspiration and momentum for her writing. She is a member of the International League of Conservation Writers, the Academy of American Poets, and the Florence Poets Society, and lives in Amherst, MA with her family. Find out more about Roxanne Bogart at roxannebogart.com