A poem inspired by the ground-making work of forest ecologist Suzanne Simard and mycologist Paul Stamets.

Where I Belong

My fingers reach deep into the
rich, damp earth,
its perfume rising up heady,
welcoming me home in a way
I do not yet understand.
Then suddenly,
from nowhere
as I turn to go back down the mountain,
an invisible hand
reaches out from the stillness,
touches me on the shoulder
and I understand: I never really left.
Not really.
All those years of wandering
'through hollow lands and hilly lands',
asking the wrong questions:
“To where, to whom
and to what do I belong?”.
They were here all along,
the answers I sought,
beneath my own feet.
A mycoverse of belonging.

—Adrian Juric

Find the element where you truly belong. Contact Adrian about his counselling services in Vancouver.