The wind whistled through the forest, stirring the slumbering boughs in the topmost canopy of trees. Light filtered through the autumn leaves, creating a kaleidoscope of colors and bringing a hazy veil of sunshine to the mossy ground. Squirrels chittered in the trees, rustling their bushy tails as they dashed up into their homes. The chirping of birds filled the air, the melodious song creating an atmosphere of peace and harmony. Nearby a creek gurgled and bubbled, racing around bend after bend, flowing smoothly and softly. The forest buzzed with life, butterflies flitting through the air, bees swarming through the trees, deer darting through the bushes, munching on juicy berries, and frolicking on the soft ground.
The chains are gone, My wings are free, Soaring high, Above my misery.
A bird born, Learning how to fly. Tumble, tumble, Down from the sky.
Freedom gained isn’t freedom done. To truly be free we have to ground ourselves, Then carefully peel away, Learn how to run and jump and walk and fly, Let it become second nature without knowing why. Figure out when to fly, And when to walk, When to pull down, Or to go up.
The long rows of briars, Filled with caps of black. We used to pick and sing, A song to send us back.
The scent of our work, So sweet and true, Made into a prize, All done with you.
Rolling, cutting, cooking, Laughing with the stars. A sock for everyone, Customized and bought.
Swinging high and low, Shrieking with thrills of glee. Toppling down to the ground, My turn in one two three.
The memories of old, Replaced with ones of new. No more caps of black, Just a sock for me and you.
I hear the murmur of your soles, The ends of your feet touching the pavement, Then darting away, like a sparrow soaring high.
The rhythmic melody of your lungs, In perfect timing with your murmuring feet. A music so simple, But elegant beyond belief.
Your glistening skin. It sparkles and flickers in the sunlight, It’s dewdrops salty and cold.
Your body is dancing, Your toned muscles in perfect timing with the music, Every inch of you is intertwined.
I see you walk by, My mouth and heart agape with love. Your tone still ringing in my ears, The excitement it brought enough to last forever.
And when you whisper those sweet words, My heart flutters, My smile stretching wide, open for all to see, My soul still in love with thee.
Sometimes you make my jaw drop, With your charm and captivating talent. Your skills so renown, I wish I could be like you.
But even though I am not, My heart burns with a ferver never seen before, I want to master the things of the world, Just to make you smile. So your jaw can drop, And your soul burn all the brighter.
The girl in the window. She sits there, still as a statue, legs crunched up to her face, her eyes glassy and watchful. She’s always staring out that window, her gaze always wandering to the children in the field, frolicking without a care in the world. She never moves. That window seat has become her home. And her ever watching eyes are always on the children, but for a small time. She’ll watch them all day, she’ll watch them run and play, and when they wave goodbye and walk away, to the doors of their homes, she watches their tiny feet patter into the house. Only when the doors shut, and a resounding echo fills the valley, does she look away. Then her eyes stray to her own door, where they fill with hope, sadness, and regret. They stay there, until the next day when the children come outside. When they open their doors to shout greetings at each other and to bathe in the boundless joy that youth brings.
Her face grows thin now. Shallow yet deep. She has forgotten how to eat, to sleep, to live. She only knows how to watch. To watch the children, the children that are so full of life, yet will be her death. The doors open, and her gaze once again drifts to the window, despair etched in her features. She watches them play. They run around and around and around. They dance with the lilies and sing with the birds. Innocence. Oblivion. Ignorance is bliss, they do not know what horrors will jump across their path. They know only the wonder of childhood.
The sky grows dark, the sun setting again. The despair is carved deeper and deeper into her face, the lines aging her almost instantly. All the children have run to their mothers waiting arms. All the children have wiped their feet on their mats. All the children have gone home. All the children have left. Except for one. A little girl stands alone in the field, her head tilted to the side, a smile growing on her face. She stares at the girl in the window, the girl that has stared at her every day of her life. The girl that, even now, still stares at her. She smiles at that girl in the window, the sun shining through her teeth. She waves. She waves and waves and waves and all the while smiles.
The girl in the window. She sits there, still as a statue, legs crunched up to her face, her eyes glassy and watchful. A tear rolls down her cheek. A smile flickers on her face for a moment, then begins to stretch outwards until a grin as radiant as the stars appears. She waves her hand hesitantly at the little girl. The girl waves back and then runs off to her house.
”Where did you go? I do not know the place of your woe. Tell me again, Why did the tears follow your friend?”
“You see me here, Drowning in myself beyond all repair. Your answer is near, I cannot say the place of my fear. My woe is gone, Replaced by the joy emptiness brought.”
“Enigma and light, Come to me child and share all your frights. You need a hand, Mine is reaching, Searching for land.”
“I will not stay. Your hand is shriveled and searches for youth. Beckoning near, Your finger cries for the life dead and gone. You think you shall live, Only upon another’s life you shall die.”
The space between stars, A mystery greater than Mars, All darkness and black, But it keeps things on track.
What lays there? In the shadows, Where the darkness creeps,
It is the matter between energy, Never seen, But always there, Mystery pure in itself.
Beautiful starlight, Faded away to night, The light having vanished, Gone in its plight.
The space between stars is nothing, A vast expanse of darkness, To illuminate the beauty of the stars.
