Arboretum

I have forgotten to notice

how the trees love me.

They hung fruit low, within reach,

dropped cherries in my basket,

nuts in my lap.

They dripped syrup in my bucket

after I wounded them.

And when I was tired from taking it all,

they shaded my nap,

showered me with blossoms.

Yesterday I was not grateful

for their sacrifice of wood,

bark, roots, leaves, and amber ;

for providing me with platforms,

ladders, barriers, shelter,

altars and weapons.

Today I must remember

they embrace the earth,

cleanse the air.

They subdue the elements,

paint the hills for me;

then beckon me outside.

They lead me to clear water,

and hang off the cliff to catch me.

Tomorrow I will sing for them

a predawn lullaby and dance

with the firs on the mountain.

I will witness and humble myself

before our world’s great lungs.

I will stand in the desert

with the boojum tree

pointing to the sky.

Sybilla 6/11/12

Photo courtesy of Lyndee Goetz

To see Staci Stanton Edwards artwork for this poem,

please peruse her blog.

Photo by Mason Clay