friends and family,
I take them to the redwoods
up at Big Basin
always driving the winding roads,
the ones with the dips
and curves on the edges.
Everyone is talking,
making up for lost time,
sharing about the kids,
the new house, the loss
of beloved Fluffy,
graduation, weddings...
I drive, smiling and nodding,
loving every minute.
the ravines deeper, curves sharper
I put the windows down,
for fresh air, I say.
But really... it's to invite
the forest, breathing
it's ancient silence,
into the car.
Then, no one talks.
They just look.
I park the car and
the Old Ones
stand over us.
Insignificant humans.
