Nature on New Year

First published in the literary magazine 'Nature Writing'

Nature, coupled with its beauty, is capable
of narrating an unforgettable story
particularly at the start of a new year
is it at the pinnacle of its glory

Once I escaped the morning celebrations of the city,
and stepped amid the canopy of trees
instead of being engulfed by a gust of smoke,
I was hit by a fresh, invigorating breeze

It was then did I realize- nature possessed
its own hustle and bustle
of creatures nestled in their habitats,
and that frequent, natural rustle
and crunch of crisp leaves, occasionally
embedded in glossy frost,
while living the slippery sensation,
of my feet trudging over moist moss
and the dampening of my soles
by green grass crested with dew
that reflect the soft morning light,
creating a terrain entirely new-
shimmering rainbow shades
hovering serenely against the air
welcoming me grandly into
Mother Natures pristine lair

Weightless billows of mist gracefully followed,
clinging to my trail
encasing me in its translucent barrier,
like a sweet-smelling veil

Towering, overlooking branches
had shed shadows through gaps and slivers
upon the lush, fertile fields,
and the pure water of the rushing river

With the lowering of the temperature,
I felt the days heated rays fade,
transforming the blazing white light,
into miraculous pink and purple shades

The glacial air then stung my skin,
eliciting pink till my cheeks owned a blush
the bitter chill froze droplets on my eyelids,
that when rested on my cheek, made my eyes gush

My senses longed for the forest creatures
that had furtively returned to their individual realm
that include damp, gloomy caves, the clammy dirt,
tropical evergreen trees and those of elm

I detected the shamrock green that
adorned the bark, alongside the fern
with the dull brown concealed beneath it,
created an assemblage of colors impossible to discern

And that was the moment I sensed the sunlight
secretly commencing its depart
thus gesturing that the reign of night
was positioned at its very start

Within minutes, the darkness had unfurled
only illuminated by the faint glow of the moon
that had cast a celestial smolder on my features
from the exact position of the fiery sun during noon

Without further ado, the blackness became overwhelming,
navigation turned possible solely by the sound
of nature swaying along with the wind
and of my footsteps trampling over the ground

So I lay down upon the worn-out earth,
a slight drizzle falling upon me like tears
I woke up to the chirping of another new dawn
and to the start of a long story of a fresh new year