I went down to a place in the woods
I found a lot of twigs and rotting branches
And I found a yellow rose

So I picked it up and held it close
And didn’t see its thorns
Until the blood dripped down my chest and hands

Feeling betrayed by the rose I walked deeper into the woods
And found a four leaf clover that promised me luck
I plucked it and it told me to follow my heart

But my heart was frightened and didn’t know what to do
As I ran into the woods I didn’t watch my feet
And I stumbled into a patch of berries

So hungry and tired I shoveled them into my mouth
And began to see and hear things out of my dreams
And feel things out my most dreadful nightmares

I slowed my pace to find stability
In need of calm, unsure of each step
I clung to a sturdy oak tree until the voices ended

I ran my scabbed fingers through the crevices in its bark
Stared at the sky through its leaves
Having found the truest and eldest being here

I speak to the Oak and listen to his tale
But as night falls I know I must leave the forest and return home
As something to safely guide me home the oak gives me a gift

An acorn, innocent and young, but full of great potential
It won’t hurt me, or lie, or manipulate or trap me here
If I find the stamina within myself, He says, I can be free of any forest
Even the one within my mind.