I walk in the woods in my mind

I walk in the woods in my mind –
Through the towering oaks
Of my formative years
Sturdy and stoic
A solid base to climb
Past neat rows of pines
My memories laid out in lines
Orchards of dreams
The willow whose leaves
Contain endless possibilities
Trunks holding thousands of stories
Their branches forked with multiple endings.

I walk in the woods in my mind
Towards the dark shadowy corner
Where fears and worries dwell
Among thorns and vines
I tread carefully
Not wanting to go further but knowing I must
I’ll be better off for venturing through it
For beyond the darkness
On the other side, I see new growth
Saplings and shoots
Coming up through the forest floor.
Just as trees release nutrients when they die
To support the growth of new ones
My mind has shed its bark over the years
Letting go of unhelpful thoughts
And painful memories
Allowing space for new life to grow.

I walk in the woods in my mind
And notice gaps
Where there were once before
Invasive plants
Crawling and winding their way
Across the woods
I see blooming flowers
Where there were once squashed dead leaves
The forest is in flux
A constant living changing thing
Ageing and growing and dying and being reborn.

I walk in the woods in my mind
And am at once the walker and the woods.


Nicola Cronin
@wordswithnicola