girls who braided their curls

got sweaty and dirty

climbed trees

lived in the branches beyond

the constructed structure daddy built.

Treading my way through years

of fancy dresses marriages

pregnancies school nurturing others

I find my way back to the wild parts

of my woman's landscape

Discover hiking boots can stand

beside city pumps

Learn again to trust my body walk into fear

spend nights alone with women beside men

on forested lakes alive with sounds.

Trudging this narrow path

forty pounds of pack upon my back

Swimming, close to the place where rooted trees

reach for clear lake water

I listen to the stillness

Catch my breath on the wings of a hawk

Find myself climbing to the sky

toward home.