i’m sitting here watching a group

of both physically and mentally

challenged young children

sing their hearts out on one

of those talent shows on tv.

they get the golden buzzer,

and the audience explodes–

people are hugging each other,

mothers and fathers are crying,

and the children themselves

are beaming like sunlight

with honest-to-goodness

genuine happiness as they

dance around the stage.

tears run down my cheeks,

and for the moment, anyway,

i’m glad that i’m an empath.

i am a priest

in the temple

of the forest.

i go there now

seeking solitude

in the frosty morn.

the path of leaves

soon gives way

to a carpet

of golden needles;

i have reached

the inner sanctum.

here, great pillars

reach into the sky

opening a portal

between heaven

and earth

–photo by me