Reflections from Crumbly Acres: taking in the forest atmosphere

Walk in the Forest to Heal Oneself – Fractal Enlightenment
"A popular practice in Japan called ‘Shinrin-yoku’ which means ‘taking in the forest atmosphere’ also known as ‘forest bathing‘."

This works for me, even on a dreary, damp day.

Song for the forest

The four sisters

The four sisters are holding court
As they gaze around their forest
High atop their promontory
Integrity of connections amongst their kind
Though time will thwart their place
The forest stays strong, renews and regenerates

These queens of the forest
I wonder what they talk about
Do they comment on the changing seasons?
On birds and wings, mammals and claws?
Tree limbs exposed to the elements
Standing like gaunt skeletons
Do they gaze down at
Fallen leaves buried under fallen snow?

Amazing how they fall and lean for many years

Asperous rock-bound trunks stand
White pines untouched by humans
For a hundred years
They've faced their time on this earth
Rain and snow have not defeated them
Lightning has failed to topple them

Roots reach deep into the ground
Unlike their scabrous cedar sisters
Who succumbed to age and drought
Shallow roots failed to find sustaining life blood
Hopeless, they fall
Leaning in melancholy, mourning their lost lives
Failing to see the new saplings sprouting beyond their sight

This white pine amazes me

The forest keeps the frog pond tucked in
Arms wrapped around its length and breadth
There is protection under their loving arms
For they are all in this together
Somewhere, under the ice
Mammals, reptiles, insects
Amphibians, and larvae alike,
Both predator and prey
Do they know that they are all connected?

Deer and turkeys walk across frozen pond
Beneath, critters are undisturbed
Frogs sleep, dreaming of spring
Do they hum to keep their voices in tune?
Waiting to sing the love songs of sweet spring
Muskrats swim below
Seeking food in the frigid water
Do they take time for play?

Regularly walking in the forest leads to <= the study