Hurry! The moon is almost up

but quiet! oh so quiet-if you disturb the silence

of the Forest

we'll never find her.

There! By the edge of the trees, do you see?

A lone, slight figure

hardly more than another shadow in the night

Or so she'd like us to believe

Wait, now, until the moon's spell is complete

and she won't flee from our presence.

Ah, see now-she is tempted to step into the open,

into the caress of the silver light

but the forest retains its embrace

Step lightly now, but don't take your eyes off her

or you might lose her forever.

Now! As she steps forward, the shadows are

finally banished, and the soft light reveals her

a lithe, slender woman, a silver flame in

the moonlight,

the forest's heart come to life.

She lifts her face to the sky and

spreads her arms; the wind

twirls her long, dark hair into enigmatic designs

The grass ripples around her, beckoning to her,

and suddenly that's all the invitation she needs

Twirling, leaping, running, jumping,

her body pays a tribute to her ancient friends

The forest watches her protectively

but can no longer contain the spirit

that now dances in the light of the moon,

Her moon,

in a moment everlasting, of her own creation

a song wells up from the depths of

her soul,

and as she dances, the melody becomes a

part of Her, a part of the dance as well

its haunting notes echoing throughout eternity

sending the men back into their pasts

to a time of wildness, with strange, thick forests

and cold winds and enchantingly beautiful skies;

a time of beauty, savage beauty that haunts

one's soul

and makes your heart ache to think of it now

knowing that once you were a part of it,

connected to the land, an extension of it

but that tie has somehow been lost forever

leaving the men only able to watch as

the sun's rays break the silver silence

sending the svelte figure back into the

depths of Her forest,

its all-seeing light slowly drying the tears

that glisten on the men's faces.