Shinrin yoku

We did not walk far into the woods
But it was deep enough
To leave all sounds of cars and planes behind.
Indeed, it felt far off
From everything except the trees
Their trunks and leaves,
Their gnarled bark and sinuous roots.
So I came to believe
The benefits of ‘forest bathing’
An arboreal balm.
The Japanese call it shinrin yoku
Waving branches / inner calm.