she's lost in the woods the string that she held to lead her back to where she began slipped from her grasp. the trees crowd the branches blotting out the sky her clothing hanging her long skirt dragging catching leaves and pinwheel burrs. she went in looking for leaves and flowers to press into her worn-out diary and soon became so immersed in the pattern of veins on a leaf that she forgot her way, the shadows trailing to the ground from the boughs of the trees confusing her. so that there's no way out, just paths between pines and hollyhocks that spin she in revolving circles. she isn't worried though, her heartbeat is calm, gentle waves lapping the shore. she loves the woods, knows they'll show her the way out. she admires the smell of damp earth, the leaves that drift from the highest branches, gliding to the forest floor. the mysterious rustlings that echo from far-off.

    she waits until it is dark, for the trees to draw their branches in, lifting away like a curtain from the sky. it is a clear night, cassiopeia striving to be gorgeous. shooting stars streak like rockets across the atmosphere. she counts three comets with blazing tails. she follows them home.