To the war drums of her heart

she conquers her forest

She approaches the boundary
of the woods.

Without a torch.
Without a pitch fork.
Without rays of moonbeam.

Straight into the woods
she charges
with her fists.

She charges
with her wits.

She charges
with her lungs.

“These are my trees!
These are my leaves!”

Without fear,
she sprints
through the claws 
of the forest
leaving her mark
with the blood of her wounds.

Past the fork 
in the road,
she does not hesitate.
No visible path.
No stars above.

She follows 
the compass
of her spirit,
the war drums
of her heart

the pull
from within.

Put what you will in front of me.
I will find a way.

Note

Experiencing the unknown is part of being human. At some point, we are all forced to somehow “figure it out” without any sort of guidance. Make decisions. Push forward even if it’s painful.

There are times we do this intentionally to reap the “great reward” at the end while other times these pathways into the unknown are forced on us - unplanned, unexpected, and at very inconvenient moments.

What experiences have you had going into the unknown? Was it something you sought out or was it an experience that dropped on your lap? How did you manage to get through? What kept you moving forward?