The poem takes place in an unspecified woods where the speaker loses their individual sense of self to merge with the natural surroundings. The woods are composed of myriad entities that synergize and form an animate whole. The speaker lists several of these entities: aspen, mountain, river, stone, leaf, path, flower, evergreen, current, berry, mushroom, avalanche, cliff, wild iris, duff, waterfall, and dew. Depending on one's perspective, the items in this list are both living and nonliving. The setting can be considered as a complex system. Overall, the speaker celebrates their time in the woods.