Black Bayou – located near Monroe, Louisiana – is one of my favorite places in the entire world.

This Acadian house welcomes visitors to the wildlife refuge.

“Refuge” is the perfect word for this place. In this wild spot of earth, beings of the human kind can find a reprieve from being human.

Every time I go to Black Bayou, I get pleasantly lost in all varieties of flora and fauna.

Fall is my favorite time to visit, when the splendor of the swamp is most evident – when everyone gets a break from the summer heat and prepares for the hush of winter.

The boardwalk traverses the woods and takes me deeper and deeper into the shadows of the marshland. I don’t mind. Getting lost is part of my plan.

And then when I return to the world out there, a beautiful old pin oak stands sentry on the bayou’s periphery, reminding me that I am not alone in the wide world and need not fear: Trees will always be near me.

There is nothing like a swamp to make me feel at home on this planet.