21 Things .05

"I go there to be crowned" - Faber

There's a beautiful forest near my house rich with tapestries of green leaves and carpets of giant ferns. Its a busy thoroughfare; students and people with dogs use it daily and I often go for runs or walks through its trails. Its not a secluded place but to me its always had a magical depth. One stretch of the trail in particular has always stirred my imagination. The trees arch overhead like cathedral domes and give the illusion of continuing on forever even though I know houses and roads are just out of sight. I don't know when it started but I began calling it my "Sherwood Forest" and after one of my walks about a year ago, I decided to write a poem. Here's an excerpt:

"In blissful solitude
      I stood, amongst a group of stately kings
Archaic robes of lichen-moss
     And ferns of oriental green...

Oft’ when in a pensive mood, I pause
     Within this idyll wood
Where Time refrains his mortal grip
     And soothes the harried soul..."

When I came home for the summer I didn't expect to have the same connection with the little forest plot, but I've discovered its become even dearer to me because every time I've walked through since returning I've been met with a gift. 

First it was an eagle swooping low through the trees right over my head, the next time it was two owls calling to each other from either side of the path, and just the other day I witnessed two woodpeckers only a few feet away from me chirping delightedly.

I thank God for these glorious glimpses of his creation in my Sherwood Forest/bird sanctuary!