This poem symbolizes, in a person’s dream, what man looks like to nature and to trees.

The Dream

He is chasing me.
Following my every footstep,
steadily following me like a bloodhound on a criminal’s trail.
His footsteps resonate through the entire forest,
His roar echoing even louder.
The branches hide his hideous face.

I run with all my might.
My legs are carrying me,
Performing all that they can,
My brain is churning in a seemingly peaceful world.
dodge rocks and overgrown branches with every step.
Do not fail me legs; do not fail me now.

Bursts of color explode in the background.
Everything I see is treacherous to me.
All of them waiting to pounce on me.
Every breath I take turns against me.
Every move I make threatens to betray me.
The trees are my only friends.

Their warm branches welcome me into their protection.
The air around them is secure.
Their presence is calming.
Their gentle presence is powerful.
They act toward me like a mother to a child.
He is drawing nearer.

My eyes see him.
His eyes see mine.
He runs toward me with fury,
Uprooting the gentle souls of the trees as he draws nearer,
His dirty hands snap around me,
His mouth opens wide expecting a meal.

My eyes snap open…

Date posted: January 24, 1999.

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