Red maples surround the empty road
The emptiness is calming
The color of the trees is so brilliant it almost looks false
It’s beautiful
The black asphalt road is a contrast to the color of the leaves
Hints of bright green highlight the red
Almost like a painting
It’s surreal
Even the rain doesn’t dim the leaves
It creates a look like a fairy tale
Or part of a movie set
Yet it’s real
Part of the artistry
Of Mother Nature
Pure magic

Red maple rain

The Voyager

She was leaving a place
Not like home
Heading to another
She couldn’t wait another second
She was heading home
To a place she had been before
To a place she knew and felt comfortable

She would drive all day and night
It didn’t matter
She knew where she was going and why

She began in the morning with her cat by her side
She would arrive at night before the end of the day

She drove through all types of weather ending her drive in heavy rain

At times it felt like the drive would never end
Rain pounding on the road and her car
It felt like it took forever

Large trucks racing by causing her car to be bathed in water
She was leaving a place
Not like home
Heading to another
She was heading home
Nothing would stop her
This was meant to be

Then she finally saw the signs of home
She smiled
She was getting close
Almost there
She was going home
Leaving a place not like home

Once she arrived where she was supposed to be
She settled herself in for the night
The rain had stopped
The air was cool but not cold
It was springtime
Trees were flowering
Flowers all around
Before sleeping she opened the window
The aroma of the trees filled her lungs and room
She took a deep breath and took it all in
The smell was like intoxicating perfume
She felt great relief and a sense of comfort
Her body started to relax
She knew she was finally home

When we are away or leave
We hunger for the scent of home
We wish for something familiar
Something we can cling to
Something we know
We will do anything for it
It’s precious

When we are away or leave
We hunger for the scent of home
The flowers
The trees
The landscape
The people and the food
The feeling of it

It becomes an intoxicating perfume
For the soul and heart
To comfort and calm
When we are away or leave
We hunger for the scent of home
It never leaves us
It’s in our heart

Sometimes we get lost in the wind
When a large gust blows
Our spirit gets caught and taken away
Sometimes we lose our way
The path seems to disappear and
becomes hard to see

We may end up where we didn’t intend doing what we hadn’t planned

We may feel out of place and lost struggling to find our way back
To a time of comfort and safety
To a time of care and love

Sometimes we get lost in the wind
Fighting to find our way home

I am in the murky waters of life
The water is cold to the touch
Up to my knees
Hard to walk
The bottom feels like sand with dirt mixed in
I can see into the bottom
Small fish swim around my legs
They gently tickle me
Reminding me that they are there
and so am I
Together. Alive

We start to move in the same direction
I am no longer alone
I am with them
Together we find clearer water
It takes some time but we do
As the water clears it becomes warmer

As we continue to walk the bottom becomes white sand
Soft to the touch
The color of the water changes
It becomes a light blue

The fish swim away leaving me at a new place and path
With open, warm waters no longer murky

The sun is almost gone for the day
It is that time before nightfall and daytime
The in between
A slight warm breeze is blowing
Teasing the face just a little
Seductive to the touch
Like a lover
The branches of the plants are gently moving
Like a slow dance
A touch of sun can still be seen in the distant horizon
The city street below is full of life
Restaurants and cafes are open
People are moving about
A drum beat of music can be faintly heard in the background
Voices talking from the restaurant and bar next door
Lights of the city coming on for the night
As the city prepares for nightfall to come

Every few months
She disappears
She hides
Invisible
As if a ghost or spirit
She’s not part of anything
She’s something else
Unnoticed
Comes from a different world
A different place

She melds into surroundings
Becoming very quiet
Keeping to herself
No one pays attention
It’s better that way
More comfortable
She watches from afar