I felt the silence of the wind
as we walked through woods
where autumn leaves fell—
as I wish to fall—gently.
Golden, brown and fire red
cleansing air, breath and me.
I walked with her, held her hand—
gently, like a leaf
I hugged my teacher and she shined
through October’s roiling clouds.
The trees bowed like Buddhist monks
and her smile sang itself into my heart.
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I felt the silence of the wind
as we walked through woods
where autumn leaves fell—
as I wish to fall—gently.
Golden, brown and fire red
cleansing air, breath and me.
I walked with her, held her hand—
gently, like a leaf
I hugged my teacher and she shined
through October’s roiling clouds.
The trees bowed like Buddhist monks
and her smile sang itself into my heart.
More leaves slipped their moorings
and floated into my sadness,
fluttered, tickling the soul, and
I smiled, leaves like butterflies in my heart.
-Garrett Phelan
Garrett Phelan, True Shining Heart, practices with the Mindfulness Practice Center of Fairfax (MPCF) under Anh-Huong and Thu Nguyen. Garrett is the editor of the quarterly newsletter ofthe MPCF, “Along the Path.” A former high school principal and longtime teacher, he is currently a teaching artist in the Washington, D.C., area.
