“Trees are poems the earth writes upon the sky, We fell them down and turn them into paper, That we may record our emptiness.” Kahlil Gabran
IN PIECES
Let me introduce myself…I have no name…at least not formally…
I have stood on my property for over 50 years…you see…I am a tree.
I’ve been home to many insects and birds…and neath my boughs I’ve seen many people come and go…from this very spot I’ve shaded a house and multiple families…I’ve watched scores of children grow.
But when the last family moved out of the house I shaded…suddenly…one day big machines and their workers moved in, tore it down…and hauled it all away.
A ‘For Sale’ sign went up in my yard and my excitement was unfading…when my property sold knowing I’d soon discover…the next house I’d be shading.
One day more machines and their workers came into my yard…knowing my fortune was about to be remade…I stood up as tall and as proud as I could….happy to offer my comfort and my shade.
But the more I watched them in my yard…the more I came to see…They did not come for my comfort or my shade…they came, instead…for me.
When I saw that crane go up and heard their chain saws start…my leaves began to shake…Stop…Stop! I cried… Please stop! This must be a mistake”.
“You don’t understand!” I shouted “I’ve been standing here for over 50 years,”
Either they didn’t care or, because the chain saws were so loud…perhaps they didn’t hear.
They started by cutting off my highest limbs…immediately I began to cry…when I realized…never again…was I going to touch the sky.
Again I screamed for them to stop…again they ignored my plea….
Now I was crying for all the creatures who will no longer make their home in me.
After an entire day of ripping me apart…all that could be found…were pieces of the tree I once was…strewn upon the ground.
And with my life in pieces I was left to wonder…why….why would they destroy a poem the Earth wrote upon the sky?
And if anyone out there has the answer…there is something else I’d like to know…How could they destroy, in one day, what took me 50 years to grow?
I was walking in the woods the other day when what did I happen to see...across the path in front of me…a newly fallen tree.
The fact that it was newly fallen was easy to perceive.
The bark was still in tact and Its branches still had leaves
"Are you sad that you have fallen?" I asked the tree…"sad that you will die?"
The tree thought about it for a moment….’No’ came his reply.
‘From the moment we sprout from the ground when we are thin and small...all trees know eventually one day we will fall.’
'It's a trees job to stand tall and strong to provide shelter to the birds before we go…knowing one day we will become part of the Earth so that other trees may grow.'
‘This is the cycle of a tree’s life…this is our path…this is the only way…and all trees understand…the part we’re meant to play.’
How can I be sad I’ve fallen…when deep in my bark I have no doubt...my falling will give so many other trees their opportunity to sprout.'
‘And how can I be sad as upon this ground I lie…when, for a little while in my life, I was blessed to touch the sky.'
Yesterday before the sun awoke as odd as this may be
I paused while I was walking to have a conversation with a tree.
Now you might think it crazy conversing with a tree
but, in my defense, it was the tree who first called out to me.
“I’ve seen you walk by for many years.” (This tree conversing was a she!)
I think it’s time we get to know each other…come…sit…and talk to me.”
Before you think my craziness has gotten too pervasive
Let me tell you, right up front,…a tree can be persuasive.
We had a wonderful conversation and though we didn’t always agree
I have to say I was impressed with the wisdom of the tree.
I asked her where her wisdom came from and as she swayed in the early morning breeze.
She said not only do her roots run deep but they connect with all the other trees.
She said, “I may look like I am one tree standing on my own
but being linked to all the other trees means I never stand alone.
"Which means,” she said, “you’re not talking exclusively to me.
Since I am connected to all the others…I am more than just one tree.”
And though she didn’t come right out and say it
I’m sure the message was meant for me.
Her subtle way of saying humans should be a little more like trees.
As the first rays of the morning light began to shine on me
I smiled, told her I had to go…then turned and thanked the tree.
As I walked away I thought to myself…I’m not crazy but how lucky must I be
to think that I just sat down and had a conversation with a tree…
So I turned back to the tree…I smiled, waved, and to prove my sanity’s intact…
That old tree not only waved to me…but I’m pretty sure she smiled back.
When the world is moving too fast and it’s hard for me to see
I find some peace and comfort as I sit under a tree.
In the coolness of the shade on the ground as low as I can go…
I give thanks to whoever planted this tree so many years ago.
As I lay upon the ground and watch leaves waving in the breeze
I begin to wonder to myself how important are the trees.
Without us they’re still beautiful….thet’ll still grow up tall and thrive
but without them we, as humans, would be unable to survive.
Under a tree we ponder the value of our life…our meaning and our worth
Under a tree, if we listen, we can hear the heartbeat of the Earth.
Under a tree is where some poets have been inspired to do their rhyming.
It’s where as children looking up we began to think of climbing.
Under a tree is where couples…looking through the leaves to the stars above
have held hands for the first time…it’s where they fell in love.
As I see the branches of the tree…lifting up…and watch them sway
I wonder if it was under a tree where people first began to pray.
The more and more you contemplate life sitting under a tree
the more the world begins to slow down and the easier it is to see.
He often pauses in the forest…
gets down on his knees as if he’s praying
to gossip with the wind
and listen to what the trees are saying.
She loved when he read her fairy tales…she’d sit upon his knees
and be amazed how so many fairy tales took place among the trees.
Fairy tales…alive with woes and heartaches…
with battles, and wishes granted,
with damsels in distress…
where every forest seemed enchanted.
And when they walked into the woods…she always felt it there
perhaps inspired by the fairy tales…something magic in the air.
She’d point them out when she spotted them
“Dad! Look another tree…
just like the ones in the fairy tales you always read to me”.
“Look how tall they are”, she smiled…”how they reach up to the sky
I wonder how many adventures they’ve seen…with their fairy tale eyes”.
For her birthday that year…she was given the best gift she would ever see
when she delicately unwrapped…a tray of tiny trees.
“It’s to start your own enchanted forest”, Dad said as he got down on one knee,
"where you can make up your very own stories among your very own fairy tale trees”.
Later…In her back yard as she looked down at the tray of trees just planted
“Dad”, she asked, "how long do you think before this forest becomes enchanted”?
Dad put his arm around his daughter and took her hand in his….
“Just like you on the day you were born”, he smiled,
“your forest…already is”.
In the comfort of my boat…as on the water I did float
under a cloud filled sapphire sky
From my spot upon the river wide…up ahead along the riverside
one particular tree captured my eye.
I have always been enthralled…how the trees grow straight and tall
How together they create such a beautiful sight
but something was awry…and the tree that caught my eye
was not straight…but leaning to the right.
Yet rooted to the land…this tree continued to look grand
even leaning as it did it still stood tall
For I am must now report…two trees were offering support
using their branches they would not let him fall.
The first tree did astound…it was lying on the ground
and caught the falling tree to help it stop
The second tree still standing with it’s open arms expanding
caught the falling tree nearer to its top.
And I had to smile at the sight…how nature does things right
how she uses all she has to save a tree
And the way, like birds of a feather, trees will work together
is a wonderful and beautiful sight to see.
And I thought we can learn a lot…all that nature knows and taught
for as to life…she seems to hold the keys
For wouldn’t it be grand….if one day we came to understand
How trees stand taller when they stand with other trees
It’s passed down from generation to generation
and though it might seem simple to you and me
their is a knowledge
a method
a spiritualness
an artistry to climbing a tree.
When you find a tree you’d like to climb…you must pause…
as part of the tradition
pause to give thanks for this tree and to quietly ask permission.
For though you are happy to have found a tree that, for climbing, now befits you
you must wait for an answer from the tree…
it is the tree who must permit you.
If there is a nest in the top or it’s branches are to weak
the tree will tell you now is bad timing
and ask you to come back when the nest is unoccupied
or its branches are more suitable for climbing.
But when you find a tree that is willing
when a tree lets you know it is time
you ascend to the top without effort
as the branches seem to assist in your climb.
And it’s just as important when you’ve finished
when the tree gently sets you back down
to again thank the tree for it’s generosity
the minute your feet hit the ground.
Yes, it seems when it comes to climbing a tree
what’s important is the spiritualness you exude…
It has less to do with your ability to climb
and more with your kindness and your gratitude…
It’s been passed down from generation to generation
and in each generation there comes a time…
when they realize the same magic that works for climbing a tree…
works for whatever in life they might climb.
TIMBER! yelled
the down falling tree,
Catch my call,
Listen to me!
Vibrating modes,
On no-one's nodes,
You did not hear,
You did not see,
My roots as they
Were torn out,
But still you wonder
Did I shout?