I walked through a forest

Carpeted with leaves

Shimmering in the soft sunlight

Glowing faintly like fireflies

I paused beside a tree

Images flooded my mind

My mother stood beside the tree

My grandmother was beside her

I saw myself as a young boy playing nearby

These were not my memories

They were the tree’s memories

As we had all passed by there many years before

I picked up a handful of the golden leaves

Carried them home

Put them in a basket

They whispered to me daily

Stories from my grandmother

Sage advice from my mother

Silly murmurings from my young self

It was haunting so eventually I had to do something

I took the leaves back into the forest

Paused in front of the same tree

The tree said its time for you to move on

I nodded and dropped the leaves

Covering my ears as I ran away

I reached the edge of the forest

Looking back at the carpet of leaves

I called out to them

But I could only hear a whisper in reply

I was very tempting to go back

But I never did