By Aly Kirke, TIWP Student

I feel the moss beneath my feet. Between my toes. It’s squishy. Soft. Cool like the pillow I turn over as I fall asleep. I’m alone, but I’m not lonely. The trees whisper me secrets in the wind. I feel like I belong, like the trees and the stars are welcoming me home. The moon gives the path in front of me a glow, beckoning me deeper into the forest. A hear an owl. A rustling not far away. But it doesn’t scare me tonight. A deer enters my path. She turns to look at me, and our eyes lock. We both stop in our tracks, observing each other. And then she continues on walking, approving my presence. She trusts me. I keep moving deeper into the forest, until I pause. I feel like this exact spot is where I need to be right now. So I lie down on the path, and look up at the sky. The trees part to let me see the stars. They cover the sky like sprinkles on a toddlers sugar cookie. I think about how I’m looking back in time. How a lot of these stars have probably died by now, but their light is still reaching me. I shed a tear. I let it trickle down my cheek, feel it turn from warm to cold. For a split second I feel silly for crying and laugh at myself. But the feeling passes and there’s silence. I start wondering if I will leave light when I die. Will people still see my beauty years after I have passed? Will they come across a letter I wrote and shed a tear of their own?