*For Rachael, with thanks for the joy you bring and the lessons you taught me. Happy Birthday!

I’m wandering through the forest.

I can hear the whisper of the trees

and the moon is shining down upon me.

Following it, I find myself

at a pool of water and when I look

down upon it, I’m entranced

by what I can see within.

It is as if there is a slideshow

within the water that replays

every memory that is filled

with shadows. I watch

for a few moments and I can see

each time I was hurt or hid

in the dark, waiting for my wounds

to heal. I begin to reach downwards

towards the water, wondering if

the water will be cold to the touch,

when a voice speaks behind me.

“Why are you doing that?”

I turn to look, and I see the outline

of a woman and she is smiling at me.

Her entire form is made of light,

as if she contained a comet or a star

within herself, or she was a beam of light

given physical form.

“What will happen if I do?”

I ask her. I’m not sure

what makes me ask this.

She walks towards me,

each step leaving behind

a footprint that is filled with light.

As she comes closer to me,

I can feel her warmth

and I know that her light

comes from within. She puts a hand

on my arm and some of that warmth

runs through me. The woman looks

downward at the water and motions

at the different parts of me

that swim underneath the waters surface.

“It’s not good to hold on to old memories,”

She tells me, bending slightly to gently

touch the water. I watch as light flows

from her touch, casting the shadows

into a different light so that

rather than looking upon water

filled with pain, I am instead looking

upon moments of joy. I gaze

into the water, remembering those times.

“Sometimes, you have to make new ones,”

She says, her voice kind and wise.

“And sometimes, we need to chase away the dark,

so that we can remember the joy.”

She begins to walk away from me,

back towards the trees that hold secrets and sounds.

I call out to her.

“Where can I find this light?” I ask,

my voice unsure of itself.

“How will I chase away the dark?”

Turning back to me, I can see the outline

of her smile. She comes back to me

and gently places a hand on my chest.

“It’s already within you, waiting to shine.”

She walks away from me this time,

letting the trees claim her.

I look up towards the moon

and I am not surprised to see it

shining even brighter

than before.