Speaker 1: Hey, thanks for being a part of the conversation. This
is Forest Stories. I'm the Poet in the Forest, a
children's series that I pinned out in the nineteen nineties. Now,
none of it would be possible if it wasn't for
this forest right here in South Charlotte, North Carolina. I
talk about it so much that I thought maybe it's
time that you get to know what has inspired me
for thirty years. Thanks for being a part of the conversation.
Welcome back to the forest. The things that you see
and you can't see, and I often keep the cant
scene away from you, one of them being this guy,
the sixty two year old man with very very long hair,
taking a walk on a path through a forest with
his dog, his dog named Jesse. He calls it a
transition walk. This guy in this forest and the things
that he goes through and what he documents. You'll never
see the handwriting, the different vocal d frags, but yet
it happens every day inside this for a force that
communicates to this long haired man walking his dog. And
to say that the forest communicates with him is something
that others easily brush off, because what does that even mean?
If you don't believe in the spirituality of what these
trees bring. And it's not just the trees, it's everything
connected to the trees, from the tall grass to the stream,
to the beautiful lake, to the birds that sing, to
the deer that rub up against it. Their antlers have
always got to be kept clean, so therefore the trees
serve as yeah, that caretaker. It's amazing what trees will
do to you, especially these trees inside this forest where
the long haired man and his dog continue to walk
each and every day. And it's not just a place
to just, you know, go and look at all the beauty,
but it's to receive, to listen to to learn new lessons,
to question old lessons, to take it one step at
a time through a collection of trees that stand above
this guy with long hair and his dog, and they
don't feel like they're any taller than he is. It's
about being equal, it's about being loved. A forced with
a long haired man and his dog. Hey, thanks for
being a part of the conversation.