This piece emerged from memories of childhood and the sense of freedom found in nature. When I was young, I spent a great deal of time in my grandparents’ backyard. They had lush green land filled with huge, ancient trees, their branches creating cool pockets of shade with scattered bits of light shining through whenever the leaves shifted in the wind. When my cousins and I stepped beneath the trees to play, it felt like we were entering another world — a place where time briefly paused.

This song, and this work, became my connection to what once was: the parts of the past we carry with us always, and the endless wisdom, comfort, and quiet mystery held within old forests.