Somewhere on the Sylvan Loop,
between Squire’s Castle and Buttermilk Falls,
the trail crunches cold under our feet
in the winter sun.
I feel like we’re going backwards,
but that makes sense.
It’s a diversion.
We’re talking about where we are now,
not quite wanting to be out of the woods yet.
The Snowbelt sky is a rare and accidental visitor.
At the Overlook, black-capped chickadees hop close,
expecting to be fed, wings fluttering
a soft echo of brittle beech leaves.
I hadn’t planned on this
flighty eagerness for risk,
daren’t hold out an empty hand.
Stephanie Sesic teaches writing at Cuyahoga Community College and is happiest when hiking in the Cuyahoga Valley. Her work is forthcoming at Coastal Shelf and Sunlight Press and has appeared recently in Claw & Blossom and Rascal. Her chapbook, The Intimate Verge, was published by Pudding House Publications in 2008.
Featured image courtesy the poet.
