I took the road I have walked so many times
wanting to feel the soothing presence of the trees
the forest looked and sounded normal
I had no reason to think something was different
As I came closer, to my right, I saw
tree after tree after tree, felled down
leaving a gaping wide hole in the thicket
a cleared wide patch inside the forest
it was as if life itself had deserted the place
gone along with the trees
every log lay as stiff bodies on the ground
silence filled the air as no birds could sit on a branch and sing
no wind could rustle the summer leaves
no hiding places for the deer
the felled trees lay silently on the ground
forever denied the chance to grow
taller, thicker
as I walked into the remaining forest leaving behind the empty space
the forest slowly came alive again
a big contrast to the graveyard I had left behind
