Tree
Under the tree
Generations of children
Laughed and played
Animals of all kinds
Sheltered beneath her
And she sensed life
And understood longing
She heard them come and go
Changing from small things
To adults
Passing into old age
And then death
From the tiny ant
To the forest stag
Birds and insects grew
Beneath those branches
And her spirit knew
Life on life... from start to end
Some revered her
Others carved
Their names
In her lovely trunk
Year on year
She in her green glory
Knew us
Loved us like a mother
Knowing that one day
She too would end
Leaving her skeleton
To be fashioned for a table
And a crib for a baby
Now long gone
This is the way
Of the gentle oak
In all her gracious beauty
This is the way of the eternal