A Note for You in the Wilderness
A poem by Claire Coenen

A Note for You in the Wilderness

I promise this forest will not entangle you forever.
Like sunrays trickling through the branches,
illumination will arrive. The painful terrain will soften
beneath your feet as your soul learns the secrets
of suffering and love. Lanterns and cairns will emerge
on the trail, and voices of other travelers will
break open the void. In time, your vision will refine
to see piles of mud and moss as the homes
of fairies, who cherish your choice in risking laughter.
With intuition, you will sense the dandelions
delighting in your wishes and the magnolias billowing
wisdom in the blossom-air you breathe.
Until you inhale this peace, trust that no human is evergreen.
The little deaths, the traps, the broken hopes
in these woods force you to the soul-depths most choose
to avoid. Yet in the deep and dark, the angels
will keep you, attend to your wounds, and teach you to root,
to reach, and to shine your only-you fragrance.

About the Author:

Claire Coenen, LMSW, M.Ed. M.T.S., is a writer, teacher, and social worker living in Nashville, TN. Her work has previously appeared or is forthcoming in The Nashville Scene, The Write Launch, Beyond Words Literary Magazine, The Banyan Review,Cathexis Northwest Press, Soul-Lit, Light of Consciousness Magazine, and Salvation South. You can learn more here: clairecoenen.com

Poetry Breakfast publishes a new poem every weekday morning.
If you’d like your poems considered for publication visit our Poetry Submissions page.

Follow Poetry Breakfast
Facebook