In the Shade of the Woods
By Dave Thompson, Kenai
In the shade of the woods
I taste sweet waters
Where the creek runs slow
Of the nearby spring
All alone I stood
Unpoisoned by plotters
Where the dogwoods grow
Of discarded things
I sense the cruel world
I smell sweet nectar
That circles about
Of crabapple blooms
As the riffle swirls
With honeybees pent
From the rising trout
To blossoms, they zoom
I feel the sweet peace
I pinch last Fall’s crop
Such a quiet place
Of dry crunchy leaves
My time to release
Though some never dropped
From a worldly race
From scrub oaks, they cleave
I see ruffled ferns
In the shade of the woods
United they stand
Such a peaceful place
As a breeze returns
I’d stay if I could
They shake hand in hand
From world’s human race
I hear mellow chorus
Of song birds in air
While flitting through trees
In harmony there
