I can imagine these brief woods are a wilderness,
a maze—though there are too many signs along the way
and no minotaur to threaten slaughter should I slow,
only a rooster who cries all day as if morning meant nothing at all.
The path I am walking barely bends, but I have been lost
enough to know when to ignore what I hear
and that a wilderness can be made by merely closing my eyes
for as long as it takes to catch my breath.
Here now is the forest’s edge and nothing to do but return.
A promise: when I arrive at the trail’s only fork, I will take
the wrong turn, wander longer and later than either of us hope,
and meet you again right where we agreed—safe from every myth.
Please, do not worry over when. Can’t you hear the rooster’s crow?
It will be easy to believe we are just getting started.
Weymouth Woods Sandhills Nature Preserve, North Carolina
Benjamin Cutler is an award-winning poet and author of the full-length book of poetry, The Geese Who Might be Gods (Main Street Rag, 2019). His poetry has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize numerous times and has appeared in Zone 3, Tar River Poetry, and EcoTheo Review, among many others. In addition, Benjamin is a high-school English and creative writing teacher in the Southern Appalachian Mountains of western North Carolina where he lives with his family and frequents the local rivers and trails.
Featured image “Pine Forest Weymouth Woods” by bobistraveling BY CC 2.0
