The Growing of a Soul

The Growing of a Soul
I have walked this path
a thousand times.

The Seasons have changed their
face as well  as mine.

I have labored here as 
I placed one foot in front
of the other.

At times, I backtracked.
Something, someone catching
my eye.

I lingered, reflecting on
the past…days held in the sun
and, yes, even the storms
that taught my ‘limbs’ to move
about in wondrous ways.

Yes, I have walked this path,
times too numerous to number,
and the most profound change,
although unseen, is the change
within.

I talk with stones, with trees
and forest creatures.

Most of the time I refrain from
speech and listen to the stars,
the first rays of sunshine
and the fullness of the moon
on a chilled haunting night.

This path has grown my Soul.
Each day I arrive,
I begin again.

I circle while dawn
rises and a purple
western sky fades into blackness.

The shadows hold tender
places until the light
finds a way to transform
itself welcoming 
and letting-go.

No matter how many 
moments that have
brought me here, now…
I continue to ask, ‘who am I,
and who are you, Lord?’

I hold a leaf in my
hands that the wind
has pulled from a branch.
A hawk screeches over head…
such an extraordinary song,
and I walk on.

The sound of my soles
touch this earth,
and I hear my breath
while my heart beats inside

—a Soul birthing another
Season.