little golden treasures

The wind blows the leaves off the trees
and the children run to catch them
wide-eyed in wonder, giggling and giddy,
little golden treasures they carry close
to take home to their families.

A reminder that we all once valued
the magic of nature
before we started rejecting
little sparkles of life.

My time spent in the woods
has taught me that I need space.
That I get lost when I look
for the perfect picture
in a place where everything looks the same.

I am free when I glance up at the stars.
My tiny frame of a human has scars.
They are little golden treasures
I carry close
to show to those that I call family.

Because they see the nature & magic
of how I’ve come so far.

I still have a leaf in my keepsakes box
wrapped in plastic by my grandma
when I was 4, in the fall.

25 years later, I smile,
grateful
for the sentiment
of something so small.