Sitting Together - a one-sided conversation with a tree

Can I sit awhile in your presence,

oh rugged giant of a windswept tree?

I am seeking sanctuary,

a place apart from the static-filled life of humans.

There is peace and deep stillness under your branches,

close to your rough trunk, in the sound of moving leaves,

the smell of wood, of growth, of green.

I chose you because in tree-years we might be the same age,

not yet ancient, yet on the far side of maturity,

gradually declining, standing solid in storms still,

but not as strong or as vital as once we were.

I breathe in your presence, your steadfastness.

Your arms stretch out far to either side, seemingly without fatigue,

showing grace and fullness, flexible and strong.

I imagine the great collection of roots below you,

your shape as large underground as above.

Maybe that strong root base, invisible to me,

enables you to be serene, unwavering, firmly supported.

I, on the other hand, am often much fatigued.

I sense no root base. I don't feel securely planted.

I am vulnerable to storms and changes of weather.

You, on the other hand, probably 

never worry about your appearance,

about being too large or too slanted. 

You stand proud, no matter your form.

I doubt you get into arguments with your neighbors,

feel impatience, or fret about the future.

You aren't vulnerable to personal doubts,

or feel a blanket of sadness in the face of misfortune.

For me, these are familiar states, 

muddying my landscape, interrupting flow.

If I spent more time in your presence, time with your tree-spirit,

these human preoccupations might ease.

Sitting here in this supremely alive green world,

I feel a wideness, a still safety, a connectedness.

Maybe it is because here, the "I", the individual,

has less meaning. And the "we" is the whole canvas.

We are all part of each other. Separateness doesn't exist.

The way your tree-self breathes enables me to breathe.

Your body loves one part of the air,

and mine another. Together we make a whole system.

You provide me with peace and inspiration.

I give you my admiration freely.

We can both rest in the arms of mother earth

and I shall go home with my load lightened.

NF 9/13/20