Footprints

Jon Tribble Memorial Award Winner

I wander among the weeping willows
Hoping to find the footprints
That the fox left behind
The lilacs lean and glisten from the morning dew
The deer frolic through the wood
I, an awkward soul that crunches fallen leaves
And kicks the gravel beneath my feet,
I falter and think
Nature is peaceful, and yet I disturb
The bear cub, the swallows, the deer
Until they no longer appear
In the lit forest of brush and fields of green
Alone, I sing and the wind howls
For what seems to be an eternity
The creek empty, the despair settles on my cheeks
Until I leave and follow the moonlight’s path
To the crumbled house that burnt and collapsed.
Now stone and brick as
small saplings sprout on the lot.
I follow the faded footprints
Along the path,
As the morning sun rises.