The branches shiver gently, As whispers fill the air, The secrets of the forest, Are mine and mine to share. The birdsong blends with traffic hums, A symphony of life, A contrast found in every step, Of beauty, peace, and strife. A little more than tired, A little less than done, I rub the roads with my feet, This heart doesn’t know to quit. A little more than weary, A little less than worn, I trace the paths that wind & twist, Through dusk and then to morn. In a world of trials and tribulations, A tempest of words and confrontations, Sticks and stones may break my bones, Yet my spirit, unbroken, forever roams.