I don’t want words.
I am exhausted by words.
Come walk with me
through the woods instead.
Move when I move.
And pause when I pause.
Put your palms to the bark of this tree.
Feel the sap running under the surface with your mind.
Barely touch the outermost molecules
of the new petals of a purple wildflower.
Feel the mosquito’s legs brush against your arm
And just as gently wave it away.
Listen to the rubber band voices of the frogs in the pond.
Close your eyes and try to locate them with your ears.
Watch the pollen drift on the slow current.
See the geese glide through.
Gasp that the log by that rock
Is really a sunbathing snapping turtle.
Listen to the chirp of the creek as it flows around the fallen tree.
Be immersed in birdsong without knowing their names.
Stroll at the most.
Pause often.
Don’t crowd this with speech.
Inhabit my life without it.
