The Solace of Mother Nature

I like to say that Mother Nature
has been my first and best therapist.
She seemed to know
that which weighed upon my mind
without my having to speak.
She seemed to know
that which weighed upon my heart
without my having to weep.

Whenever I felt confined
by the iron bars within my mind
Mother Nature would to send to me,
on the back of a spirited breeze,
the comforting tunes of playful birds
and the invigorating, salubrious aromas
of the coming rain,
and pine, and wildflowers.

Whenever I felt downtrodden
by the trials of a life half-forgotten,
Mother Nature would send to me
the whishing sounds of gusts through leaves,
and chattering chipmunks and buzzing bees.

She has always known the way to solace
and would take me by the hand and lead me there.
Her bewitching, leaf-litter veiled pathways
always enticed me,
always drew me into her wilderness.
The gentle run of gurgling brooks
would always tug my heartstrings.

I wanted to be as free as the wind,
as lighthearted as the birds,
as carefree as the wildlife.
And so I'd watch them intrigued,
and try to learn from them.

I noticed that even the smallest of creatures
are not bothered by their smallness.
I noticed that the birds
delight in their flight,
for they know how
to ride through the turbulence.
For wildlife, work and play

seem to be one in the same.