Trails
I tramp the well-worn forest trail,
fleeing the stress of busy streets,
leaving behind the unraveling
vapor trails filling my skies.
Trailing my fingers across
the pale bark of the trees,
I read there the Braille
guide to peace of mind.
This trip is a long anticipated treat,
erasing the too-worn trails in my brain
as I seek the grail of a retreat from the trials of life.
Tendrils of mist trail along the ground,
throwing a sheer veil over the undergrowth.
The trickling sound of a nearby stream follows my footsteps.
A weeping willow trails frail branches in the water.
As I trudge along the trail,
the darkness slowly grows.
I stop to camp in a clearing.
The stars follow their slow track
across the crisp night sky,
joined by the occassional trail
of a meteor quickly streaking past.
My eyes trail along the imaginary
lines linking the lights,
sometimes tracing the well known patterns,
sometimes forming my own,
seeing a quail or a humpback whale,
until my tired eyes droop
and my thoughts trail off
into restful slumber.