The Whimsical Wilderness
I entered the whimsical wilderness,
Through the forest fractals,
I became the wild wanderess,
Disconnected, lost in nature’s elementals.
It didn’t take long before reaching a point,
A realisation, a gutting truth,
That where I was, where I thought I’d be,
Was in fact I was lost, completely aloof.
Entering the whimsical wilderness,
With noting but a little water, poncho, and boots,
Discovering how quickly something so innocent,
Can become something so dangerous, lost, a fluke
A new respect gained, a humbling so strong,
The fear, the terror, the stories,
Of all the things that could go wrong.
Despite the calling to the angels, the custodians, past and present,
No path was clearly defined,
No way out presented,
Traipsing through the scrubs so thick and prickly,
Going up one side of the mountain to the other,
Looking to the sun for a sign of direction,
Nature’s presenting, a soul’s reflection,
Listening for something, anything, to guide my way
Light fading quickly, the end of a day,
Trekking along what once was a river,
Not knowing which way would lead to the water,
The setting sun, the sound of the kookaburra,
The constant cooi’ing and cries for help unresponded,
A faith once so strong, now wavering in despair.
No way out, no hope to spare.
The terror building, panic setting in,
Stores of water, ever growing thin,
Further prayers and pleas to the angels and ancestors,
Hugging of my knees and trees,
When finally, the faint sound of drums, so far away,
Deciphering the beat of my racing heart,
over the beat of the rhythmic drums,
The hope inspired, the faith of survival,
Confusion rising and falling like the terrain I travel
The drums grow louder, the sun setting lower,
One foot in front of the other,
Visualisations of return getting clearer,
The sounds of fun, joy, and laughter,
Growing and growing as does my belief,
One foot in front of the other,
Assured of my direction,
A twist, a turn, a stumble, a fall,
Faith restored in my angels’ protection,
Suddenly, a structure looms ahead,
All thoughts and fears cleared from my head,
A barbed wire fence revealed,
Arms and legs wounded, soon to be healed,
A return to the safety of tribe,
Not knowing how I could ever describe,
Waves of relief, shock, respect, and honour,
Greeted with a reassuring hug from my brother,
I entered the whimsical wilderness,
Through the forest fractals,
I became the wild wanderess,
At the mercy of nature’s elementals.