I can almost feel the vines wrapping around my heart my veins resemble those within the leaves
as I feel closer and closer and closer
to the one thing that has always made sense
the grass under my feet
poking through my toes
the grass that makes my legs itch
the willows draping over my shadow as I cried to the birds
cried about my family
cried about how my world was ending
but the weeds outside my house still grew
feeling safe in the open field 30 minutes away from home when my bedroom became my least favorite place to breathe
but finding comfort under a tree known for weeping
the spiked balls that stick in my flip-flops on the walk there only to find they really stuck to my skin
the closer I get to nature, the more my existence makes sense
“Willow” published in Quilted Hearts by Eber & Wein Publishing