The Dark Wood

In the wilderness they creep

Slinking among the trees

Whispering to the vines

That hang from limbs-

Rope to catch unsuspecting

Vandal-

He who is set on ruining

Setting fire and cutting

A landscape seen holy

By the few among the briars,

The thorns that reach out

And strike,

Unseen by the eye

Of foolish human

Who wanders aimlessly,

Not seeing the figure in the shadow

The form that follows

Sticking to the darkness

With an eye for vengeance

And a heart for beauty,

A mind quick to remember

The wrongs done by hands of Man

And the scars left upon a soil

Previously untarnished

Until booted foot wandered along

To disrupt the civilization

The spirit hidden among the wood

Who came to greet the newcomer

With open arms-

And was quickly stabbed

Brought down in their prime

To become one with the earth again

And spend the rest of their days

Bringing ruin to those who enter.

Katrina Thornley is a nature poet. novelist, and freelance journalist that resides in Rhode Island. She has two poetry collections currently published, a novel, as well as a short story anthology. Her poetry collections "Arcadians: Lullaby in Nature" and "Arcadians: Wooden Mystics" were inspired by a local park and life in her small rural town. You can find them on Amazon now!

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