A Forest Awakens - A Poem - Gyaneshwari Dave

A forest – is my answer when someone asks, where I like to be the most. Fortunately, it was so from a very young age. When at around age ten, I hiked through a mountain forest in my hometown in India and reached an unforgettable spot – where, most probably for the first time in my life, I saw flowers that only grow in the wild heights, whose gentle dance in the hues of yellows and pinks I still vividly remember being mesmerized by, and felt the cool touch of a big rock near a stream, that still comforts me profoundly – the forest, must have sneaked in through the backdoor of my consciousness and secured a quiet place in my heart. It never left.

Some time back, Spoonflower, a fabric & home decor retailer in the USA, and a printing partner for my illustrated surface designs – were certified by Forest Stewardship Council for their Peel and Stick, Prepasted Removable Smooth and Non-Pasted Traditional Pebble wallpapers – because their materials are sourced from responsibly managed forests. On this occasion, they had invited design submissions on the theme of a “Forest Biome”.

I see forests as places where birds, animals, and trees are part of wholesome ecosystems, where things are mightiest at their simplest, and where truth, peace, and beauty prevail. I illustrated – A Forest Awakens.

While creating this art, my love and longing for forests also got translated into poetry – a language for the quiet places in our hearts… 🙂