“The forest is a calm spiritual place“ John Muir
Finding solace in the forest
Falling into a state of calm
I might name it a spiritual place
A walk into the magical.
***
A golden shovel poem is a contemporary poetic form where each word from a borrowed line ends a line in a new poem. American poet Terrance Hayes invented the form in 2010 as a tribute to Gwendolyn Brooks. “A Forest Soul Cleanse” John Muir
“And into the forest I go to lose my mind and find my soul.” - John Muir
The forest is a calm spiritual place,
a balsam scented and serene space.
Rabbits hide in mossy dens,
with fresh mushroom gems.
Magical!
Cleanse.
Fanciful,
trees, flowers and stems.
Where creatures sleep and some race.
A place to treat with kindness and grace,
the forest is a calm spiritual place.
***I hope this fits the criteria
#TankaTuesday Poetry Challenge No. 54, Imagist poetry, 3/3/2026
The Bag Lady 