Arroe Collins Forest Stories

Thanks for being part of the conversation I am the Poet In The Forest. A children series I penned out in the 1990s. None of it would be possible if it wasn’t for this forest in South Charlotte, NC. I talk about it so much that I thought maybe it’s time you get to meet all that inspires me. Thanks for being part of the conversation

A tree never stops shedding its leaves and branches. Experts say its a tree's way of conserving water. The tree is constantly sending out signals to cells. Because this is a forest I don't allow myself to humanize it. Those fallen leaves and branches are extremely important to other living things on the surface especially when it comes to feeding its own roots.

Thanks for being part of the conversation I am the Poet In The Forest. A children series I penned out in the 1990s. None of it would be possible if it wasn’t for this forest in South Charlotte, NC. I talk about it so much that I thought maybe it’s time you get to meet all that inspires me. Thanks for being part of the conversation

Waking up to a spring storm. The trees and other living things appear to be prepared to receive. They act like they're listening. Their roots require a good down pour. My thoughts wander. What about our roots? We're constantly running! What if these trees could openly move like the snakes and deer below?

Thanks for being part of the conversation I am the Poet In The Forest. A children series I penned out in the 1990s. None of it would be possible if it wasn’t for this forest in South Charlotte, NC. I talk about it so much that I thought maybe it’s time you get to meet all that inspires me. Thanks for being part of the conversation

I started from scratch. Planting bulbs. Colocasia Esculenta or Elephant Ears. I'm willing to watch them in whatever is their presence in the present. To receive from their paths of moving forward. Learning the language of this forest. A partner in the process of receiving. Only to ask, "What am I giving back?"

Thanks for being part of the conversation I am the Poet In The Forest. A children series I penned out in the 1990s. None of it would be possible if it wasn’t for this forest in South Charlotte, NC. I talk about it so much that I thought maybe it’s time you get to meet all that inspires me. Thanks for being part of the conversation

Colder weather usually means the mice are moving indoors. The average home has 5 to 6 and requires 3 months to get fully get rid of them. Is there a positive about mice? They are a totem animal and they do bring messages about how we warehouse not just materialistic things but emotional connections.

February 7, 2024 A huge building storm is all around us. Animal behavior in the forest is set on calm. The hawk is screeching in the sky while the deer eat one bite at a time. It's the clouds that are moving, as if to be ice skating across the Carolina sky. The human sees rain in the forecast and cancels their plans for the day. We'll watch from our multiple windows hoping for the sun to reappear...

Weather is beyond our control. When it turns bad we prepare by taking shelter. What about our mental storms? Are we given fair warning before being brutalized by a system of change? Learning how to listen, predict and prepare are issues that shouldn't be set aside. It's not out of sight out of mind. There's a reason why you had that tornado dream last night.

When trees fall... So much is still unknown. We rarely get to see who moves into the now giant hole. The rooting system of a tree and it's connection to the soil. We can learn a lot from this relationship.

Thanks for being part of the conversation I am the Poet In The Forest. A children series I penned out in the 1990s. None of it would be possible if it wasn’t for this forest in South Charlotte, NC. I talk about it so much that I thought maybe it’s time you get to meet all that inspires me. Thanks for being part of the conversation

A 70 foot tree fell to the forest floor the other day. My neighbor says it sounded like a bomb. Research shows that such a sound is very common because as its falling a vibration in the air has been created. Sure, there was a huge thud when it met the forest floor but science explains the sounds of thunder didn't start there. It was in the air.

We have special places on our daily path. Those areas that give us a moment. No pressure. No expectations. Just you being present. To find yours doesn't require a trip to the forest. Your place of receiving might be a walk through the city or sitting on the deck just listening. Your special place. When all you really want is a moment.

I often wonder how truth filled a tree's rings really are. Most of my research points toward how the climate has been measured. Experts say tree growth is very complex, as is it's interaction with the surrounding environment. As a child we'd rush over to a stump to count the rings. I don't see much of that anymore. Tree rings create the paper that which I write upon. I take those words into the st...

Thanks for being part of the conversation I am the Poet In The Forest. A children series I penned out in the 1990s. None of it would be possible if it wasn’t for this forest in South Charlotte, NC. I talk about it so much that I thought maybe it’s time you get to meet all that inspires me. Thanks for being part of the conversation

Extremely cold this new day. Yet the forest doesn't seem to feel the same. The music is the bird's song, gently playing while the sun is rising. Birds are my Jazz. My heart is always listening even while walking through this forest when it's 29 degrees.

Thanks for being part of the conversation I am the Poet In The Forest. A children series I penned out in the 1990s. None of it would be possible if it wasn’t for this forest in South Charlotte, NC. I talk about it so much that I thought maybe it’s time you get to meet all that inspires me. Thanks for being part of the conversation

I met with a squeaky tree while walking through the new sun. Like a coward I jumped! My imagination envisioned the squeaky tree was preparing to fall. Yesterday, I stood with an eight point buck. We stared at each other by way of embracing our present space. I may be afraid of the squeaky tree but the buck with a rack that big opened my love for nature even more. I wanted to return to the squeaky...

Thanks for being part of the conversation I am the Poet In The Forest. A children series I penned out in the 1990s. None of it would be possible if it wasn’t for this forest in South Charlotte, NC. I talk about it so much that I thought maybe it’s time you get to meet all that inspires me. Thanks for being part of the conversation