the smile

it is autumn
a woman steps through soft bars of moonlight
on the edge of a tall forest
a white owl hoots from the tree tops,
leaves drift down all around her
in the dark wind
like huge flakes of golden snow;
as she comes nearer
she can hear the rustle and sigh of the ocean
see the distant gleam of the surf on the beach,
she smiles
as though she has found a way
to climb through the air to the stars.....