The Tree

At the end of my long, tiring journey,

I came across a glorious, vibrant tree.

I hoped it was the season to free my worry.

So, worn out by the walk, I sat down in glee.

This giant tree stood fully alone

In a field with tall dancing, hypnotizing grass,

Unlike any tree I had the pleasure to know—

I wished for a way to preserve it in crystal glass.

I journeyed far and wide to see the plan life

Drew for me—I mourned things I was not privy to see.

All I felt was a cut deep inside by a lone knife.

I prayed the celebrated divinity still flowed within the tree.

The roots buried beneath the hard and soft soil

Could be the answers that I sought, or the seeds

That fell from above, yet I feared I might spoil

It’s creation, ruining its beauty like devilish weeds.

I hungered for fruit that could bring me wisdom

Beyond my years, bar, I am far from worthy.

Rotted in mud and left to sulk as a sick victim,

Forced into an unexpected, and quickly ending journey.

I left on my own, from my quiet, content home.

Where the ocean waves jump up the cliffs, and crashed

Along a beach I use to mournfully roam.

The place the sun and the world endlessly clashed.

I missed the thoughtful touch of the ocean breeze,

And the buzzards that would come out to play—

But there were no buzzing, hunting bees,

And the sky began to turn wholly grey.

As a raindrop fell from the sky, I winced

In pain. I imagined the growing, deadly mass—

I spent years struggling to hopelessly rinse

From my mortality—refusing the agony to pass.

I brushed the bark, remarking on the worn out

Skin, while even then beautiful and delicate.

It witnessed a lifetime fly by. Once a tiny sprout,

To when our surprising journeys became intricate.

As the Heavens opened to cry their sorrows,

It hid me from their deepest untold pains.

Shielding from life’s unforgiving arrows

And the heavy burden of devilish chains.

My agony did strike once more as I faltered

From my personal admittance. How did I

Leave a life behind? I feared the white altered

World would snub me from the cloudy sky.

Many questions bound me to the tree,

I was easily convinced to doubt

What would free me—I would never be free;

There was no hidden alternate route.

Thunder shook the ground, waking

Sleeping creatures, warning them of danger,

Reminding me of my fleeting time, breaking

Me free from dreams, forcing me to see Nature.

‘See and hear Nature; only then can it save you,

My child.’ I nod in response, recognizing

The voice as if it were my dear mother—a cue

Of sorts? ‘When danger falls, salvation is rising.’

I closed my eyes and waited for the storm

To pass. The pits and pats on the leaves grew quiet

As a bird landed on a branch to warm

Under the hiding sun—what a strange climate.

As the rain traveled away, a light did shine

Through thick clouds, leaving traces

Of gold on the edges of the tree, a sign

Retelling of it’s encounters with other faces.

I longed to know what their difficult choice

Was when they took comfort under it’s shade.

Did they, too, hear a familiar voice?

Did they run from sight, or happily stayed?

Am I not to know what lies beyond my eyes?

‘Yes.’ But why? ‘See with your heart, hear

With your heart. Everything comes to die,

But know this: you will never truly disappear.’

The fear chased after the rain, and my throes

Were replaced by the beauty of a setting sun.

The bird flew off, no longer afraid of the woes

During a furious storm—today we all won.

At the end of my long, tiring journey,

I came across a glorious, vibrant tree.

The season urged me to forget my worry;

So, like a spell, I sat and lingered in glee.

© 2019 by Claudia Laugalys