The Forest

He sought a forest,
An unrelenting longing.
He inquired everyone he met along the way,
But was told bewildering and unfamiliar paths.
Still, he wandered,
Crossing countless ponds, rivers,
Mountains, deserts.

Until one moment—
He saw it, a thicket of trees.
Drawn to it instinctively,
His steps carried him forward.
No path existed,
No fellow traveler.
A wild, desolate land,
Yet his strides did not falter.

Was this the forest
His heart had sought for centuries?
Desolate and fearsome at times,
intoxicating and enchanting at others.
Even here, there were no paths—
Only faint trails vanishing into nowhere.
Somewhere a rustle, somewhere an echo,

Voices from unseen faces.

The forest’s diversity bewitched him—
Very strange animals here—
Some are crawling, some are flying,
Some are leaping, some are running.

A curious wood, with wonders in sight.

He quickened his pace, overwhelmed.

He saw many others.

Some hummed softly,
Others wailed sorrowfully,
Some babbled incoherently.
Were they, too,
Seeking the forest?

When hungry, they would eat fruits and flowers,
Or hunt and chew raw.
quenching their thirst, from springs.

But where was the forest?
Was it among these trees, streams,
Mountains, skies, and earth?
Had it concealed itself within them,
Or did they compose the forest?

Having reached it at last,
The quest seemed fulfilled.
Yet now a new longing emerged,
A fresh destination.
How to cross this forest?
At times, it felt like home;
At others, a stranger.
It brought laughter, fear,
Peace, and restlessness.

The suffocation grew,
An uneasy agitation gripped his soul.
The same unease that had stirred him
Before the forest—
Now thrived within.
Perhaps his peace lay beyond.

But who could guide him,
Show him a true and certain path?
All walked lonely, silent paths,
Following faint trails to nowhere.
No one returned to recount their way.

Everyone is wandering—without direction,
No one is listening,
No one is speaking.

Breathless, his anxiety surged.
What was beautiful and serene
Now loomed fierce and monstrous.
All that he sensed converged
Into a strange amalgamation—
A sensation his soul had yearned for,
For centuries.

If it were the sea, waves would crash,
Casting him ashore.
But it was a forest.
How would it lead him out?
Whom to ask, who could say?
All were lost in revelry.

In time, he found himself
At the forest’s edge—
Just as he had found it,
He now emerged from it.

Seeking calm,
His restless heart throbbed.
A stranger sat nearby.

The stranger asked suddenly.
"How was the journey through the forest?
You were restless searching for it

But why even more restless, upon finding it?

Drawing a deep breath,
He recounted it all—

What seemed beautiful from afar,
Had turned fearsome up close.

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