The Circle of the Moon – A Poem

I am sitting outside of the forest.

I don’t feel like going in

and losing myself within its branches

as it whispered sweet nothings to me.

Instead, I find myself

walking around the edge of the trees,

remembering what it took from me

and what I willingly gave away.

I look up when I see the moon

winking at me through the leaves.

As I walk, the moon moves with me,

giving me light so that I can see in the

darkness. I try to outrun it,

comfortable in with the shadows,

however the moon leads around the trees

until I find a pool of water.

In all of the years I spent in the forest,

I never knew there was a body of water here.

The moon shines down on the grass,

blades so dark they are black.

I sit where the moon shines,

so that I am within the circle of the moon.

Around me, there are flowers growing

within the grass. A breeze moves through the air,

it fills my head with a comfortable whispering.

The moon shifts slightly within the trees

so that it shines upon the water, and I lean forward.

I look at myself, at the lines on my face that mark

the journey I’ve taken to get here to this moment.

Dipping my fingers into the water,

I watch as the me within the water ripples,

and pulls itself back together,

slowly making the cracks disappear

until my reflection is whole again.

I remained there for some time, watching as flowers fall into the water

with the same thing occurring each time,

broken, together, cracked, whole, fractured, complete.

The water reminds me that though things may seem broken within,

I am not within the trees of the forest or lost within myself.

Letting my fingers dip into the waters

one final time, I stand and walk back

in the direction I came.

I walk back towards whatever will come,

knowing that I am ready.

The moon winks at me from within the leaves,

and I know too that this is part of my journey.

I merely need to remember

that the moon and the river are within me

and that this is only part of my journey.

I have so much further to go,

following the light of the moon

so that I can find

the stars.