During the 2023 Naturalist-in-Residence program at Madison Public Library, Qwantese Dourese Winters hosted two Nature Writing and Meditative Walks. Each walk went to a different location - Edna Taylor Conservation Park and Heritage Prairie - but both groups had the opportunity to combine the serenity of nature with the art of reflective writing.
Along the way, participants were encouraged to immerse themselves in the nature all around them and to observe the details of their experience, picking up on things sense by sense. What sights or sounds or sensations did they notice as they meandered through the beautiful prairies, along the lake-sides and down the forest paths? The short poems you see below have been combined to create two collaborative poems - one from each walk - that showcase the joy, beauty, connection, and more that we can find in nature and in each other.
Heritage Prairie Poem
Whitesnake root, goldenrod, purple coneflowers
I love Autumn 
Weeping, willow alone, strangers among shimmering leaves, now united among the paths and highways 
The trees have branches gripping the groundEdna Taylor Poem
One day I’m going to take every fear, every worry and bury it underneath an elderberry tree Maybe they can fertilize the ground like compost does So nice to meet you Edna Taylor And your family of goldenrods, sumac, cattails Serenaded by the cranes and geese Summer lingers in the goldenrod, glowing under cloudy skies What is a cold snap to something that has only known summer Do they know what it means When cranes and geese leave Do they know the rich life blooming bounty Of goldenrod could be their last supper? Are they so instant, so omnipresent Because they now its their last song? I smell the season changing and It feels intoxicating Sweet like my grandmothers homemade biscuits I miss them… I miss her… Do bees sleep in the flowers or have they simply grown tired? The oak tree doesn’t question how much space it takes up Or how much sunlight it needs It takes up its space and stack in its sunlight and Just is I am art of nature and I’m allowed to need what I need and Just be As I am Like the oak tree Walking in the wood is not a race
Its a conversation Its a discussion Its the waking of rocks And the whoosh of the grass Its hearing the birds And taking the time to listen to their declaration All the colors are always there Some are harder to see at different times Does not mean They don’t exist September is too rich for its own good Sweat and sunflowers Goldenrod and ashes The last mosquito bites of the year As I walk through Parts of an unknown but still a sense of direction Causes me to see a path One that will lead me somewhere It has life I hear birds Smell fresh grass One duck by the lake singing That im not alone We are here together Moments of beauty find us If we let them Purple Astor licked star bright by bees tongues Blood red leaves begin to twin with green Herons silky charcoal wings smooth the pond Where are you going in such a hurry? Its okay to wade through slowly And alone Said the lone heron
From Poetry to Painting
Fears Buried at Sunset by Alina Puente
Artist Alina Puente, who helped created the imagery for the Rooted in Nature theme, also took inspiration from the poems written by community on these walks. Alina painted the piece pictured to the right, entitled Fears Buried at Sunset, as a visual storytelling element to accompany the poems. You can see Fears Buried at Sunset on display at Central Library November 2023 - February 2024 in the second floor stairwell. The painting is placed alongside the poems written by community members.
Artist Statement:
In a poignant synthesis of art and nature, Alina Puente’s “Fears Buried at Sunset” emerges as a visual echo to the soul-stirring poem composed by the patrons of the Madison Public Libraries’ Naturalist-in-Residence Nature Walk. This piece is an ode to a transformative walk on a Midwestern trail, where the artist encountered the serene yet fleeting beauty of the late afternoon. As the sun dipped below the horizon, casting its final golden hues upon the elderberry trees and the whispers of goldenrod, a powerful moment was born. The vibrant strokes capture the essence of release, where fears are surrendered to the nurturing arms of God’s perfect order, and life—in its infinite cycle—continues unabated. Puente’s painting invites viewers to step into a space where the majestic oak stands undaunted, an emblem of the strength and steadfastness provided by divine grace. This is not just a trail depicted in bright colors; it is a journey of connection, reflection, and the serene discovery that in the stillness of God’s embrace, we find companionship and the promise of unwavering peace.
