Breathing Free

It's an old trail in a network
of urban forests preserved
because its geology is not
conducive to tract housing
construction and so it remains
an oasis of natural wilderness
surrounded by a ring of various
neighbourhoods, its existence
unknown to oblivious residents
but for a select few who over 
the years have treasured its
proximity, the forest, its
ravined slopes, its creek and 
its wildlife bringing substance
and value to their own lives.
There, a succession of lovely
wildflowers bloom, insects and
birds abound, small animals and
reptiles live, secure in their
green haven. And those who
venture beyond the pavements
the highways and the malls
take their leisure among the
multitude of trees, deciduous
and conifers, breathing free.