Finding Walden Poem by Preston Simmons

I went to Thoreau's expansive home
And walked right through the door.
I made a ripple in the pond
With my own hands
Just as the many men of this area
Made ripples in history
That are still expanding today.

A few miles away,
The city wraps itself in noise.
And here, Walden and her woods
Cloak themselves in silence,
As Thoreau did for a tribute
To his brother.

The branches broke under my feet,
Which made me think of the barriers Thoreau helped break,
And how
both break gradually.
He helped construct the foundation of freedom For many
Who were oppressed.
The wooden towers extend their arms
And look down with their green eyes.
I know Thoreau was connected to the trees
Because both of these individual forms of life
Hide nothing from our view.

I walked with my father and brother
To Thoreau's original home.
A sign painted 'ALT. PATH' was displayed On the right.
It was the path Thoreau took
His entire life.

I went in peace into the woods
Searching for a stone
To add to the pile of admiration,
And also to work on this poem.
I found three trees with the sun shining through them.
Three trees connected in the middle,
By a light, And by me.

The fifteen by ten foot frame has turned to dust,
And lays down with the leaves,
While the woods remain
Dark yet clear.
The chimney foundation of this shelter
Is the only thing that stands.
The foundation where light was given
To a man who sought it in his life And in others.

~ Written on 3 August,2013 near Henry David Thoreau's home in the forest of Walden Pond.~