Tanka Tuesday

“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