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Man uses wood without seeing The spark inside the living being The flowing sap and tender core Cleansing air, water and more    Below the soil, symbiotic truth mycorrhizal web joined at root mutualistic defenses to defend Attacks from pests and pathogens Arboreal beings who share the earth Forgive us humans, huddled at hearth Warmed and lighted in the dark Grateful for your endless bark  If we could only see your face And share in your collective space That binds all trees; holds them tight To withstand, withhold and stand upright I gaze in awe below your dome In woods that circle my own home I pray you feel me standing here  With everlasting love… for trees Susan Smoter - Octiber 7, 2023

In peacefulness My feet press into Earth’s crust Feeling its heartbeat As in a trance My eyes take in The wondrous vision Of fall’s display Uplifted by the melodious Choir of birds  A glorious sonata of Many voices uplifted I never tire nor thirst Feeding upon nature Wrapping me in warmth As it was intended

At first bite it tastes so sweet Tangy tingles on the tongue Hunkering for more delights Tidbits become cravying Bloated on sugar, sickened On torrents of syrupy prose Overwhelming - it’s too much Beloved turn of phrase Is stuck on the bottom of the bowl

In life are many walls, Hemming us in, containing, Restraining us, Keeping us captive. The worst walls are the ones By those who should be Helping us to find our wings. Next worse walls are those We build around ourselves. Maybe we should try Climbing over those walls. • Donovan Baldwin

Like a boy playing tag upon Two flowered hills with blooms Budding at dawn's warm kiss, Wandering bare and bold at will Among soft quivering reeds Moved by a passing breath And the brush of my fingers Listening to sweet sounds She makes first as whispers Sighing and singing as, Leading me to safety, I trespass upon her Forbidden lands. • Donovan Baldwin

I sit among decorations of light and dark, dancing And changing as sunlight peeks around, hides behind Gray clouds, streaming through branches swayed by wind, Varying the patterns on the hard dirt ground. There is life all around, birds singing, wind Blowing, trees swaying, shadows changing, But, not too far away, dark woods standing, Tree shadows blocking out the sun. Among all this light, activity, and life, I find myself reminded of boyhood memories, When I lived my adventures, exploring woods In sunlight, with the wind, surrounded by birdsong. Aware even in that life, of dark woods full of peace, And coolness, and silence. Silent as a tomb, They like to say, and that is how I thought Of the darkening woods somewhere else back then. Now, so many years later, I am again aware, Of the dark shadows underneath the trees, Which stand over my shoulder reminding me, It's almost time to walk into their cool world. • Donovan Baldwin

We hear a lot about allowing people to be themselves, not hating them for what they are, or trying to change them (unless, of course, they're an ax murderer... but most aren't). Sounds fair. We've all been raised so differently, many coming from okay cultures who simply have different, perhaps difficult for us to understand, ways of living and looking at life. With a few exceptions here and there (note ax murderer above), most of us manage to make this work. One of the exceptions is what bothers me. How come you (and I) can do all that for the good of everybody else (to the best of our abilities), and NOT do it for ourselves? Shouldn't we forgive ourselves our sins... if sins they truly are? After all, many "sins" are not really sins at all, just someone's idea of "improper behavior"... whatever THAT is. Shouldn't we accept ourselves the way we are? Oh, we all could be "better" somehow... healthier, wiser, more forgiving, more understanding, etc. There's an old saying (in different forms), "You can't dip water from an empty well." Fill yourself up first with kindness, understanding, forgiveness, even acceptance. After all, there's a lot of people out there who haven't gotten the message yet, and you've got a lot of (rewarding) work to do. • Donovan Baldwin

Soft whispers across the chasm Lightly blowing back my hair Brushing against my face Like a soft kiss Growing more forceful Strong enough to lift my scarf And blow it off my neck Leaving me chilled Rustling my skirt with urgency Calling to me on the wind Step off the trusted trail Onto a path to new love

two tidal lovers a sea of exclamations a pounding of waves ----- below the surface it's so sweet resting down here in your soul's ocean ----- mid shadows of fire there among the leaping flames your image dances ----- powerful her tides strong the waves which cast about we entwined lovers ----- two sad lovers cursed their most powerful desires cannot defeat fate ----- i cannot be one my helmet and my rifle as true as my pen ----- kissing your closed eyes telling you secrets with touches smiling at your smile • Donovan Baldwin

Your words are like sticky knives Sweet quills laced with arsenic Floating across the miles Aiming for my heart Your aim is deadly, hitting marks Passionate invitations  Touching heart and tender spots Tracing my desires I long to be as you describe Running free to love, explore Our hearts and limbs entwined Beating out our own love song Dark poet with eager mind Oft I feel your kisses soft Running down my neck, wet like tears upon hot skin Come explore where dreams begin Together holding hands Trapsing sand and towering wood As we were when life began