Written by Pauline Thompson, Veterans Program Alum
Here I sit
Beneath the umbrella-esque leaves of a mother pawpaw tree,
In the Pisgah Forest, home of the Cherokee, in what is now known as North Carolina.
A crow caws
A bee is buzzing
As the guide brought me to my ‘solo spot’,
She didn’t know that this, this spot, was guided by the forest, under my spirit tree, the pawpaw.
Pollinated by flies, abundantly fruiting, sweet and soft,
You’ve got to work to get a taste of the largest native fruit,
And it’s worth every second of effort.
A woodpecker knocks on a hollow tree; he’ll surely find some bugs there.
What is that song? A chipping sparrow maybe.
An airplane in the distance… someone going somewhere- on an adventure?
To mourn the loss of a loved one?
To celebrate the love of a friend?
I see the fat leaves of a chestnut tree.
Will you grow to the heights of your ancestors?
The delicate pink and white blooms of mountain laurel bursting open
Orange flame azaleas dance at the tops of the green leaves below, glowing somewhere between the top of the canopy and the rich forest floor.
So many oak seedlings! Red, white, pink
Maples galore, and the Tulip poplars are flowering, dropping their ‘from another world’ flowers on the path below, but they’re not from another world, they belong
Right here.
Years I spent wandering, searching, only to find there is no home,
Only where you are.
Peace is interrupted by another passing plane.
Reminding me that there’s always that world- that world of noise and hurry.
Yet this fledgling- right here- has a job to do.
Learn to fly.
The density of green conceals her location,
But she’s here.
She’s right here.
Pauline Thompson is a U.S. Navy veteran and writer who lives on a small farm outside Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where she shares her days with goats, chickens, dogs, a cat named Judith, and a turkey named Scarlet. When she’s not tending to her animals or planting trees, Pauline finds joy in creative writing and connecting with the land. Her North Carolina Outward Bound journey deepened her commitment to personal growth, sparked lasting friendships, and reminded her of the strength that comes from stepping outside her comfort zone. She wrote this poem during the solo portion of her course.
