This Golden Light

Some say
Paradise is an island
with palm trees
and lush, golden fruit,
someplace distant,
unseen.
My friend and I once met Paradise.
It came with the morning,
weaving ribbons of light through the trees
and onto our faces,
skipping over the valley,
leaving it still frosted
by night.
Lighting the forest floor
and our feet as they walked upon it.
What a blessing, we said,
that it is us who have met Paradise this morning.
Together we have loved this forest,
and known its beauty,
but never had we seen it
in a light such as this.
This golden light
of Paradise.