“Forest”

Rugged and wild,

filled with imaginings,

secret smiles and deep sadness.

The forest resonates,

rough,

loose draping trees on rolling hills,

full of singing birds,

rustling winds—

carrying melodies I only dream to hear.

City sounds become unreal,

their meaning ripped away,

flat and dissonant,

as my body melts into the grass

with cool, damp thankfulness.

Paulette DeRooy is an active tap dance and Zumba dance performer and instructor, a native Seattlite and a lifetime reader and writer.

SHARING STORIES is a weekly column for and about the 50 plus crowd living in the Puget Sound region. Send your stories and photos to ariele@comcast.net. Tell local or personal stories; discuss concerns around aging and other issues; share solutions, good luck, and reasons to celebrate; poems are fine too. Pieces may be edited or excerpted. We reserve the right to select among pieces. Photos are always a plus and a one-sentence bio is requested (where you live, maybe age or career, retired status, etc.).

SHARING STORIES is featured on http://www.northwestprimetime.com, the website for Northwest Prime Time, a monthly publication for baby boomers, seniors, retirees, and those contemplating retirement. The newspaper can be found in the greater Seattle area and other Puget Sound locations. For more information, call 206-824-8600 or visit http://www.northwestprimetime.com. To find other SHARING STORIES articles on this website type “sharing stories” in the search function above.