Think Like A Tree
By Karen Shragg
Soak up the Sun
Affirm Life's magic
Be graceful in the wind
Stand tall after a storm
Feel refreshed after it rains
Grow strong without notice
Be prepared for each season
Provide shelter to strangers
Hang tough through a cold spell
Emerge renewed at the first signs of Spring
Stay deeply rooted while reaching for the sky
Be still long enough to hear your own leaves rustling.
I was reading the above poem, jotting notes and contemplating its message when I remembered the photo of this huge tree, I believe in Clearwater or Largo, near my mother's home. I suddenly began to remember many meditative journeys where trees, their roots and branches, became part of me. Those notes became the following poem.
Me, A Tree
I love trees, they seems a part of me and I of them.
My roots, deep in the soil, grow from my hands and feet.
Branches sprout, reaching from my head,
Long and glorious, beautiful in the wind.
I feel the sap journey inside, feeding, refreshing,
Nourishing, renewing.
I feel the earth, warm, moist, dark and deep,
healing.
When someone hugs me, they hug a tree.
A laughing Willow,
An old mother Elder,
A mysterious Yew,
Yes, that is me, all three.
copyright 2010, E A Kaufman
Blessings nine!
