Across the Fence

Down the path I went

Followed by the afternoon heat.

The grass grew high here.

A bend was coming near.

And, at the center of this path,

I stopped to take a breath,

Looked up and over a barbed wire fence.

(I have still seen it since.)

On the other side

Were taller weeds

And still yet taller grass.

The barb was tight; I could not pass.

And yet, I saw with curious eyes

A small and dark forest

Looking cool and calm in the heat of day,

A place of peace where fairies play.

It was cool and serene,

Beckoning me

To come out of the heat

And have a cool seat.

And how I wished I could be there,

Under the shelter of the trees,

But the barb was too tight.

It was too hot in the light.

So, I went down my path

And back to my home,

Away from the mystery,

Never to learn its history.

Still, I have seen it,

And never been there,

Across the barbed wire fence –

At the sharpness, I wince.

I made myself a promise:

"One day, I'll walk down my path

And visit the forest across the fence,

On the other side of the barbed wire fence."