Forest Bathing Poem

An early morning, late September

a lightweight coat and a backpack,

one filled with stressful feelings.

Want to take that weight off my shoulders 

by visiting this healing forest,            

one filled with mysterious wonders.

I am greeting her, respectfully 

when passing her entrance sign

The blue jay is greeting me back,

we both seem to be early birds.

I am starting a conversation

with all that is surrounding me;

tall trees, tiny critters & so much more.

We are communicating in silence

and those unspoken words 

are telling me a lot.

I am breathing in 

bright rays of sunlight

… inhaling

… exhaling

a warming up for my body

a wake-up call for my soul.

Cool air is blowing gently

it is freshen up my mind

and it is coloring my cheeks, 

in a reddish color.

Red as the autumn leaves 

that are coloring in this forest.

My heart feels lighter

with every step I take.

Although,

my legs are feeling heavier

leaving miles behind me

as well as that stressful feeling.

My pace is slowly

not following manmade signs

following my intuition.

Now, my sneakers are plowing

through bright green grass

while the morning dew

is kissing my white socks.

They are getting wet

by the overload of kisses

feeling fortunate to be a nature lover.

I keep moving forward

not ready to turn around

even though my socks are soaking wet.

It makes me feel more grounded

grounded with this land I am walking on,

we both have our own stories to tell.

My giggles are breaking the silence

as I seeing myself standing here

in the middle of who knows where.

Asking myself, while looking

at my wet shoes, if I am taking this

forest bathing not too literally. Do I?

Dominique Miller is a Minnesota based author and artist and owner of ByNikcreations, a small art-business. She works in a variety of mediums and expresses her creativity onto paper both through images and words. She loves spending time outdoors and these moments in nature are what inspires her in her work. In 2022 Dominique published her first poetry book, titled “My Thoughts in a Bundle”. Connect with her on Instagram @bynikcreations