forest

You awoke in my forest. Next to a bag of seeds and a watering hose. You walked for miles looking at my beauty. My tall trees. Their soft leaves. The long vines and the gentle streams. The rivers that passed through me were lively and fresh, they healed your wounds. They bounded your flesh. They made you feel alive again. And as you trailed back to where you started, you listened to the animals of my forest. The birds hum and the crickets chirp, as they make you a nest straight from the earth. And allowed you to rest your head. You loved my forest. You loved me. But your love was filled with gasoline. And the spark from my glowing heart got too bright, it set yours a flame and instead of putting it out you allowed it to burn me down. You awoke. But I was no longer a forest.

- Marinette Lyre Choi