Walking down the trail,

My sound seems deafening.

Take a moment to stop.

Let the forest speak for a moment.

I hear it in the chirping of the birds,

In the rustling and brushing of freed leaves,

In the echoes of a pecking beak

In search for food,

In the shimmering and buzzing bugs,

In the subdued breath rummaging

Underneath the fern canopy,

And it says “I am alive!”

Let the forest declare to you.

Who knows what it will say?