The Forest

By Ananya Shah

Posted on July 1, 2023

Cover Image Title: Silent Gaze

Cover image by: Anthony Cervantes

Classification: Photography

Specifications: Digital Media, 5837x3891, f/3.2, 1/80, ISO: 200.

Year: 2023

There is a forest inside me

A beautiful glen

Bright with fairy lights and flowers

And a song weaves my heart

Gold like stardust

And beautiful things

I am the keeper

Hands held up before me

Surrender

Or the last line of defense

I am rotting from the inside out

An old flower in a vase

Growing between my ribs

Curling into itself

And it spreads

It covers every inch of me

Almost every inch

There is a glen in my chest

And a simple song

Sweet notes and easy accompaniment

And after it all

I am still afraid of the fire

I could watch my heart turn to flame

I could stand back and let them brandish their torches

Or I could feed the flame myself

But I don’t

When I die

The earth will consume half of me

A poet will sing in a forest

And I will fade into obscurity

The other half will sink in the ocean

In salt water under a brilliant sunset

Or maybe nothing will happen at all

Maybe I will lie there in an empty house for days on end

And no one will come to my funeral

But I don’t really care

They stood around my feet with their torches

And I smiled and told them that I loved the heat

I am the keeper

I am the song

I am the glen in my heart

I am the palms held up

Facing the crowd

Begging

Unmoving

But maybe it is time to clench my fingers into fists

Lower my hands to my sides

And walk away

Maybe it is time to make my own torch

I will use it as a lantern

I will put on soft clothes in the gentle glow

I will step into the dark

And I will let the light guide me home

Descriptions:

This poem is written from the point of view of someone who chooses to live a peaceful life instead of allowing themselves to be consumed whole by the darkness. It uses literary devices such as metaphors, similes, and imagery.

[ * The End * ]

[Writing Editor: J.Y.]