"An Occasional Poem upon the Tenth Anniversary of the Elfwood Project" by Ashley R. Wynn

An Occasional Poem upon the

Tenth Anniversary of the Elfwood Project

When I was sixteen

And a maiden,

I entered the Wood.

After partaking of its fruits

And rejoicing in its bounty,

I would forever be compelled

To return and linger.

When I first entered,

It did not seem a large place. 

I suspect that it

Grew around me

As a wandered through it

Over the many years,

Exploring the unexplored.

I mostly adventured alone,

Traveling creek beds

And river valleys

From fetid swamps

And godlike seas,

Following the sacred waters

Of Creation to their sources.

I lingered there long

After my bedtime,

Reading beneath

My favorite trees

By the ethereal

Eternal lights

Beneath the boughs.

The many inhabitants

I’ve met are goodly souls.

I’ve made dear

Companions from

Far-flung lands,

Also drawn by the

Mysteries of the Wood.

Once within the Wood

Tread the rainbow bridge,

Travel beyond Stars uncounted,

Behold wondrous glories

And witness tragic hells.

Everything and nothing

Is found within the Wood.

It is an escape,

A sacred paradise,

And a place that

Feels most like Home.