Woodland Cathedral Poem by Winifred Emma May

Go into the woodland
if you seek peace of mind-
As this time when Nature's mood
is gentle, quiet and kind,
When soft winds fan the trembling leaves
about the cloistered glade-
And paths go winding deep into the green
and breathless shade.

Where nothing breaks the silence
of the warm and fragrant air-
But snatches of sweet melody . . .
and wings that rend and tear-
The stillness of the windless dells
where shallow brooklets flow-
And shadows fleck the water
as the sunbeams come and go.

An unseen Presence walks the woods,
a sense of holy things-
Haunts the dim Cathedral aisles;
and every bird that sings-
Is like some morning chorister,
and every breath of air-
Seems to bring the secret murmur
of a whispered prayer.