PostPoems Be Artistic. Be Creative. Be Inspired!

Genesis 1: 29 Behold I have given you herbyielding seed.
To you it shall be for food.
5th Angel: Revelation: Harm no green living being
Bhagavad Gita: Of trees I am the fig.
Isaiah: Break not the bruised reed.
THE GIVING TREE

by Shel Silverstein

based on a vision he had which
turned him into a follower of
Christ

a little boy goes up to a tree
who tells him..
to play in her branches
and take shade of her
and eat her fruit
.. for many years
they play..

then as he grows up
he comes and tells
her he wants her wood
to make a ship and
travel around the world

she allows him to slay her

as an old man he returns
and she invites him
to sit on the stump of her
which is left

(the soul is not dependent
on the body for its entirety)

To Silverstein (as he related
to a Brooklyn friend he grew
up with) the tree is a symbol
for Jesus' unconditional love.
His friend, a monk, told him
please to publish it. He did,
and it is now in 26 languages.