Step within that ligneous womb;
receive
the Tree’s embrace.
Press spine to sapwood,
cheek to curve of fibrous wall.
Close your eyes.
Breathe.
Within that smooth-edged concavity,
lend your heart,
the rapid patter of that bright muscle’s
beat —
so contrary to arboreal thrum
that has pulsed a
century
too low for human ears to hear,
more deliberate,
more at ease.
Emerge renewed with Sylvan tongue,
beneath a sky unfolding
dream.
–C.Birde, 3/16
2 Comments
the sensory details are very effective here, such as in “Press spine to sapwood,/ cheek to curve of fibrous wall.’ i can imagine how that feels. and the music of those lines is lovely.
Thank you kindly — the tree itself inspired! A very, very old Sycamore, that I could not get arms around. Amazing that it seems so healthy despite its base being hollowed out enough that I could literally, and easily, step right inside it. Nature is as resilient as it is awesome!