The old warrior sat weary on a rock by the side of the path. Her ax leaned against her. She had a battle before her, and she was just too tired to battle. She leaned back and fell into herself. She knew that old warrior well. She was who she was, but all people saw was the old woman she had become. They did not see the warrior.
Today she had to face the three cats sitting in her doorway waiting for their breakfast. She had to gain her strength for she felt that the toughest battle would be the one to save her life. She had to put on her inner armor. She needed to pull her shoulders back and not slump dejected into herself.
She fed the cats. Then made her coffee, and looked out at the forest. She closed her eyes and dreamed of running barefoot through the forest for it always cleaned her soul. She could only walk in the forest. The aroma of the coffee filled her nostrils and reminded her of cold mornings sitting on her screen porch with a quilt wrapped around her listening to the stillness. The coffee reminded her of those mornings, and she needed the stillness. It gave her strength.
She took herself out onto that porch covered with pollen and knew it was time to start cleaning it. She knew it would make her ill, but oh how wonderful the stillness of the forest was for her.
She drank her coffee and drank up the stillness and let it flow into her soul. She felt the warrior rise from within herself. They had forgotten how fierce she could be. The warrior had been quiet, but she felt her stretch and her backbone straighten like she was told to keep it straight as a child.
The forest was calling, and she needed the moist dirt to wrap around her toes. She put on shoes that were easy to remove to free her feet so her toes could wiggle in the mudhole on her driveway. She smiled because she refused to wear shoes until she was made to keep them on at school. When she worked, it was the first thing she removed. Her bra was always the second thing she removed. Her body like her soul liked to be unbound. She knew where she would go to the big boulder.
She took her cane, but she felt it wasn’t needed because with each step into the stillness she felt herself growing stronger. At the boulder, she took off her feet and sat on the rock looking up at the tall trees. She seemed so small, but not so old for this was an old forest. They had lived longer than she had lived by over a hundred years. She was youthful to them.
The boulder brought back memories to her of when she ran through the forest when she was young. She had sat on the boulder one hot summer day… naked, and felt crawly things on her butt. It was ticks. She pulled over twenty off her. She finished her run and then took a hot shower to clean her skin. She smiled at the memory. She didn’t tell anyone until years later about that incident.
She let the light filtering through the new leaves float down on her, and knew it was time. The old warrior rose with her for they were one. She picked up the ax and the woman felt the heat of it in her hands, and knew that she was as she always was- a warrior born.
Mary Elizabeth Todd
April 17, 2023
Today she had to face the three cats sitting in her doorway waiting for their breakfast. She had to gain her strength for she felt that the toughest battle would be the one to save her life. She had to put on her inner armor. She needed to pull her shoulders back and not slump dejected into herself.
She fed the cats. Then made her coffee, and looked out at the forest. She closed her eyes and dreamed of running barefoot through the forest for it always cleaned her soul. She could only walk in the forest. The aroma of the coffee filled her nostrils and reminded her of cold mornings sitting on her screen porch with a quilt wrapped around her listening to the stillness. The coffee reminded her of those mornings, and she needed the stillness. It gave her strength.
She took herself out onto that porch covered with pollen and knew it was time to start cleaning it. She knew it would make her ill, but oh how wonderful the stillness of the forest was for her.
She drank her coffee and drank up the stillness and let it flow into her soul. She felt the warrior rise from within herself. They had forgotten how fierce she could be. The warrior had been quiet, but she felt her stretch and her backbone straighten like she was told to keep it straight as a child.
The forest was calling, and she needed the moist dirt to wrap around her toes. She put on shoes that were easy to remove to free her feet so her toes could wiggle in the mudhole on her driveway. She smiled because she refused to wear shoes until she was made to keep them on at school. When she worked, it was the first thing she removed. Her bra was always the second thing she removed. Her body like her soul liked to be unbound. She knew where she would go to the big boulder.
She took her cane, but she felt it wasn’t needed because with each step into the stillness she felt herself growing stronger. At the boulder, she took off her feet and sat on the rock looking up at the tall trees. She seemed so small, but not so old for this was an old forest. They had lived longer than she had lived by over a hundred years. She was youthful to them.
The boulder brought back memories to her of when she ran through the forest when she was young. She had sat on the boulder one hot summer day… naked, and felt crawly things on her butt. It was ticks. She pulled over twenty off her. She finished her run and then took a hot shower to clean her skin. She smiled at the memory. She didn’t tell anyone until years later about that incident.
She let the light filtering through the new leaves float down on her, and knew it was time. The old warrior rose with her for they were one. She picked up the ax and the woman felt the heat of it in her hands, and knew that she was as she always was- a warrior born.
Mary Elizabeth Todd
April 17, 2023