The Woods

I love to smell the stately pines,
And hear the leaves beneath my feet.
Its nature at the best of times.
The woods are always such a treat!

The rustling of some squirrels I hear.
I pause to watch them run and play.
Their chatter pleasant to my ears,
So for a moment, I just stay.

Further on, the woods turn darker.
Sunlight is blocked by stands of trees.
A path becomes my only marker.
I feel a chill from the slight breeze.

Then, suddenly I stop dead still,
Not wanting to disturb the sight.
My heart is giddy at the thrill,
For there I see three deer on right.

A mother and her fawns of two,
Are grazing in the thickened grass.
Movement would scare them off, I knew,
But then the moment quickly passed.

She raised her head and gave a snort,
And just like that they flew away,
As if to say, "Aha, we'll thwart,
Your presence in our field today."

For a moment, I stood frozen,
Unsure if this was just a dream,
Almost like it was slow motion,
In a movie theatre scene.

Again I walk, and in the field,
From whence the deer had fled away,
I saw them til' they were concealed.
Oh how I wish that they could stay!

The sunlight on the field of wheat,
Created sparkling shards of light.
A slight wind moved it at my feet,
And birds flew out in frightened flight.

As I continued up the hill,
And gazed down at the valley floor,
The shades of color seemed to spill.
A picture you could not ignore.

But the most gorgeous sight of all,
Majestic blue hills, far away,
Like guardians of a castle wall,
Or giants out there for the day.

I turned, and quickly hurried home,
For night was near, I couldn't stay.
I felt so blessed to have been shown,
The sights I'd seen on this great day.



48 Lines
1st & 2nd Place Winner-Poetic Traditions