Photograph

This place in the woods feels so alive,
natural, colorful. I see bark
on a tree. The leaves have a unique shape.
Some are bright or dull.
It is romantic to me.
I feel a source of happiness
when I look at a tree.
This place in the woods—
it is feminine and romantic.
The shifting color reminds me
of a rainbow.

-Valencia Malloy, New London-