It was a cold winters day
Snow veiling everything
The bone brrr of fear
And lostness
Tightening my grip

But the season within the season was changing
Freshness somehow enlivening me
To the beauty and wonder of the moment

And as I began to slip down the slope
No longer able to grip my grip
I began to feel
What's that…
Joy?
Play even?
And laughter
Emerging from my insides

Sledless
I slipped and slided
Down the gentle slope
Right to them
As if the path had been
Leading me there all along

My fellow brothers and sisters
Sitting together
Right at the edge of the forest
What a surprise
And relief
Had my path come to its end?
Or was it just beginning?

At their feet
I rested
At the edge of the forest
I exhaled

I'll meet you there

(February 2026)