There is an altar
in the woods
gilded in green moss and
an armor of bark
There is a cushion of pine needles
tender, yet altogether hurtful
if leaned on in the wrong
persuasion
I come here to offer my sadness
I come here to offer my joy
I leave here unburdened
I return with hope
There is a church so silent,
you hear only the river water
running forever downstream
reliably and southernly
There is a god
unseen
unnamed
in the heart of this forest
Religion is the forethought
to emotion
there is a process to madness
in order to feel sane
you must recollect
the fables that are your
genetic makeup
to be free to dream
I don’t believe in God
I believe in (go)o(d)ness
in the holiness of the snail’s
fractal and reoccurring shape
My mind is clueless
but my arms and feet and soul
the limbs of my heart
reach for things that heal
The forest floor
the curl of the ferns
the reds of maples
the browns of earth
I can do anything here
I can tell her I hate myself
and I am received with the same warmth
as a declaration of love for myself
Indifference, inconsistency
call it what you will
it is endless love and patience
endurance and steadiness
It is better than anything
I have ever tried to manufacture
or any synthetic care
from ones I no longer know
I will cry my tears
into the dirt
that will receive me
when I’ve no tears left to cry
no gripes left to sing
only spirit to give
to regenerate
the next version
of this holy temple
I stand for the stands
of black walnut
sugar maples
tulip poplars
and I will quiver and yell and shriek
in the face of all I hate
all I have lost
all the world is losing
and the tyranny of injustice
I will not fear it all
for I know, there is a place
in which my weary joyful body
will finally rest
and for that feeling,
my madness is made sane.
my emptiness is made whole.
my love is made reason.
—
Juliana Wilson grew up in Annapolis, Maryland, where she loved exploring the Chesapeake Bay watershed and deepened her connection with nature. She received her Bachelor’s in Environmental Studies and Sustainability from Elon University. Juliana currently connects her farming experience with water conservation work to help protect the Mills River watershed. She started dedicating more time to writing poetry in college.
