Running through the mossy wood, crouched beside a river gilded in a golden haze
The lifeblood of our home
Slipping between cedar and hemlock
Eyes lit up with such a profound love for the world, laughter that sings of wonder and freedom.
Feathers for hair, mischief in their grins.
Fire and light
The wild calls to them, as though they were born of it.
They creep through brambles, tracing the barren trails where a stream once slept
Wind in their feathers and hands in the leaves.

Wolf song and eagle cries
Hidden frogs and the call of the crow
The cacophony of the forest, the song by which they live
The song that holds the rhythm of their hearts
A thundering beat through the cottonwood trees.
Silent feet between moonlit ferns
Here is where they are alive
Beside the wandering elk and the watchful deer, beside the life giving cedar and the towering alder
Rain soaked forests bring them to life, children perched in ancient trees to see their world
Their wild.