The sun hugs my arms in brown
Trees swaying in the thinnest of air
The rush of the water is coming
I feel it in my sneakers
I walk downhill
My thoughts censoring the noise around me
Carry me into the day and promise no return
A step into the red earth
The ancestors of my people greet me with their wings
Butterflies follow my path
Chasing away the loss I felt at the top
Soon my feet stand beside the water
It goes on forever in a deep green or teal
As if I can walk on to it
Throwing pebbles into the lake
I close my eyes and I think of you
You would have loved this place
I go to my secret place
Where no one can see me
And touch the water
There can never be a photoshopped photo of this perfection
The water has caught my attention
Breathing in the clear air
I have found my sanctuary.