I Cried…
I cried in the woods today.
It would have been easy
to blame
the droplets sliding down my cheeks
on my eyelashes
overburdened
and saturated with dew
from the heavy morning fog.
But that would have been
a half-truth.
Mixed with that moisture
was the salt of my fears.
It would have been easy
to blame
the droplets sliding down my cheeks
on the sting
of hanging smoke
from early morning campfires.
But that would be
a half-truth.
Mixed with that sting
was the salt of my burdens.
It would have been easy
to blame
the droplets sliding down my cheeks
on a grain or two
of sand.
But that would be
a half-truth.
Mixed with that irritant
was the salt of my shortcomings.
It would have been easy
to blame
the droplets sliding down my cheeks
on any
of these things.
But that would be
a half-truth.
I simply cried in the woods today.
* I don’t write much poetry anymore. But for some reason I was moved to put most of this down while in the woods running and biking at Starkey Wilderness Park this morning. Luckily I was out there working on a course for an event I produce, so I had pen and paper with me for jotting down notes on distance and trails.
I completed the poem here at home.
Kip Koelsch Author 