the forest beyond and within

For most of my life
I have struggled
and do struggle
to see the forest
rather than the trees.

The split seconds
the brief and beautiful moments
where all I can see is the forest
the unified whole
seem so fleeting
when my gaze habitually resumes
onto individual trees
my heart shatters
at the let down
at the loss
at the implied regression.

Pause.
Breathe.
Zoom out.
See the forest
beyond
and within.
It’s always there.

see the forest too

Stop where you are.
Look at the tree, the single tree
in front of you,
and the one beside.
But also, look beyond.
Look out, at the giant forest
standing tall in the background,
where some trees in the front
can be distinguished,
but the further you look
the more they all blur together.
A sea of greens and browns,
needles and leaves,
rocks and twigs
individual, but collective.

When you cannot see the forest for the trees,
you lose the collective.
Stop, step back,
appreciate the forest
and your tree within it.