dear favorite Tree,

dear favorite Tree,

we are both written into the memoir of time–

although i’m a flicker in the span of your life,

your existence and mine are intertwined.

^^^

i linger at your roots

absorbing the lessons that you teach–

through a world beyond my vision,

spheres of ancient wisdom you hold deep.

^^^

your life resonated through the universe

before your limbs took shape–

what ancestry held you

before landing on this riverbank?

^^^

i long to see the things you’ve witnessed

throughout the years you’ve grown,

revealed through your epic history

rings of time i’ve never known.

^^^

you’re wrapped in insights of ancient energy

buried in the soils from which you birthed—

echoes of time ring through your fibers,

wisdom of history you’ve unearthed.

^^^

you are one of many, yet

uniqueness carved into your core—

evidence swirled into your story

of the impacts you’ve endured.

^^^

tell me of the moment

your being sparked to life—

rooted in the depths of darkness

how did you break free and

press on toward the light?

please teach me about emergence.

^^^

will you share all of your scars

from the fires you’ve endured—

show me how to face the heat without

crumbling from the burn?

please teach me about courage.

^^^

show me how to grow roots

strong enough i no longer fear the wind—

how to rise in the midst of hardship,

using perseverance to ascend.

please teach me about fortitude.

^^^

draw up the magic imprinted in your annals,

harness the wind rustling through your branches,

to whisper the lessons sketched in your memories—

the teachings of the past drawn in your circles of remembering.

^^^

i breathe the wisdom of your experience

under the embracing of your bole—

etch it in my spirit

root it in my soul

^^^

i bow in reverence to you,

my dear favorite Tree–

now i'll close my eyes and listen

so i can truly see.

forever seeking,

me

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Author's Note:

The artwork I chose for this piece, Against Forgetting, is one of my favorite fine art prints done by sisters Sonya and Nina Montenegro, the designers and makers of The Far Woods (www.thefarwoods.com). This piece is a wax crayon rubbing of a tree stump (according to the artist, most likely a Douglas Fir) on Orcas Island that perfectly aligned with an ink fingerprint of the artist. I’m impacted by the mirroring of prints on a soul level as it translates how intimately we are connected to nature—scripted down to the very patterns of our being. To me, this piece reflects a deep well of adoration and appreciation for reciprocity of life that we share with the trees.

* Please earmark www.thefarwoods.com for amazing artwork prints and books with a beautiful mission behind them. The following quote was taken from their website.

We seek to contribute to a great Culture Shift in which there is a land ethic, a reverence for nature, a rejection of the dominant throw-away mentality, and direct connection to where our food and the things we use come from. Many of our artworks serve as educational tools and inspiration for deepening relationship to nature, food, and community. Our practice crosses disciplines, including teaching handcraft skills, beekeeping, and growing food, to work toward an ecologically-viable and socially-just future.

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