You are walking in a land far,
Far away.
It's nice and warm out,
And all around you are large trees.
When you look closer,
They're actually not really trees.
They're not quite as tall as the trees around your house,
And their trunks are thin.
They almost look more like grass,
But oversized.
Then you remember what they are.
It's bamboo.
You have heard of bamboo.
A mix between strong trees and flexible grass.
The leaves look nice and crisp.
The green is bright and cheery.
They make you feel happy.
The way they flow back and forth in the gentle breeze.
They flow back and forth.
Just like you're breathing,
You notice that in and out.
Slowly and calmly.
In and out.
Back and forth.
Watching the stems flow make you feel calm and safe.
Then you hear some cracking sounds.
Is someone coming out of the field of bamboo?
You're not feeling scared.
Somehow you know that a place this nice and calming won't have any bad things.
So bravely you step off the path and walk towards the sound.
The cracking of twigs becomes louder,
And when you reach a small open spot between all the rows of fresh bamboo you understand.
Against a big rock sits the biggest,
Plumpiest black panda you have ever seen.
He's easily twice your size,
But his eyes are the kindest eyes you have ever seen.
His big paws hold some bamboo as he stares at you,
Wondering why you are visiting him today.
Then it seems like he just knows you're there just to visit his safe place,
And he crunches another bite of bamboo.
All around him are little pieces of bamboo on the ground.
This sure is the messiest panda you have ever seen.
When he finishes his bamboo,
He lazily tries to grab another stem,
But he ate all the stems close to him already.
It's a funny sight,
The big plump bear trying to get another snack.
You decide to help him and break off some bamboo.
The bamboo is strong,
But you are stronger and with a snap you break off a big branch.
You slowly walk up to the panda to make sure you don't scare him away,
But he looks at you and he knows you're friends.
Neither one of you wants to hurt each other,
You're just in the same little forest together.
He grabs your bamboo and it kind of looks like he smiles at you when he does.
You stand next to him and realize you're actually kind of tired from all that walking.
On your back you have a small backpack with some water and snacks,
So you decide to sit in the middle of the messy bamboo crumbles and have your own snack.
It seems like sharing your lunch with this fuzzy bear is just perfect.
As you eat a bit and drink some water,
You and the panda watch each other.
You're sitting close to him and his belly looks so nice and inviting,
Like a big giant peeing bag,
But it looks like the softest you have ever felt.
You reach out to touch his fur,
He's so soft,
Softer than any stuff you have ever had and his fur is so thick and gentle.
He purrs a bit and you smile at him.
He likes you and doesn't mind you touching him.
It feels like he wants you to come closer,
So you scooch closer and closer until you're right against his big belly.
He wraps his arms around you when you lean against his enormous belly.
He's so soft and he smells like chocolate chip cookies with a hint of candy cane.
It fills your heart with happy thoughts.
You rest back and you feel his belly move as he breathes.
It goes up and down.
Slowly and gently he breathes in and out and you gently rock up and down.
You breathe with him and take nice slow breaths in and slowly out.
His belly moves up and down,
Just like your belly moves up and down as you breathe calmly with him.
His slow gentle breathing calms you down so much.
His warm and strong arms are wrapped around you and make you feel so safe and secure.
Nothing can harm you as you both breathe in and out.
Slowly you drift off to a deep sleep right there in his big furry arms.
You easily have the best sleep you have ever had.
You know your panda friend will forever be here in this magical forest that only you know of and can find.
He will always be here to help and protect you anytime you want to come and relax against the softest,
Warmest and fuzziest belly in the world.
