“The Tree”

Once   

            Tall and Majestic   

Then     

            Split and Torn   

                        by   

                                    layers of ice—   

                                                cold hardness   

                        weighing   

            ripping   

killing   

Then   

            Resurrection       

                        Sap healing the whitened flesh   

                                    a glossy amber   

                                                green under bark   

                                                            Birds—   

                                                                        Caterpillar legs   

                        And a hidden message of   

                                    Life   

                        a secret code of    

                                    Rebirth   

Then   

            Evolution   

                        Life unfurling its sails   

                                    into warm scented winds   

                        Sheltering me   

                                    in a canopy of green   

                        Interwove leaves   

                                    Nestling me   

                                    within soundless sunlight   

                        Cradling me   

                                    in dapples of shadow   

                                    and darts of sunshine       

                        Cocooning me   

                                    within Tranquility   

 Copyright 1995 Elizabeth Abrams Chapman