Garden of Secrets

Beyond the portal
a world awaits--
Wilderness, aesthetically planted,
protectively enclosed--
Hold it all in.
Carefully manicured gras
betrays the natural setting.
A facade, a futile attempt at mimicry.
Lush boughs,
Bending with the fruits of their fertility,
Beckon--but their leaves
of so many needles
say otherwise.
Plaintive cries of birds rejoice
But mournfully--
Their fragile hearts are heavy
with the passing of time--
This is the freshest air you are going to get.