Forbidden Forest

There are places we are told not to enter.

Not because they are dangerous,
but because they remember.

Beyond the last path, the forest seems to breathe.
Roots move slowly beneath the earth.
Trees lean toward footsteps.
Leaves whisper without wind.

Perhaps the forest is not made of many living things.
Perhaps it is one ancient organism, dreaming through millions of branches.

And when you walk beneath its canopy,
you are not exploring the forest.

The forest is exploring you.