Adding to the positive reception we had for last night's poetic approach to our topic, the group wanted to tackle the Tree of Life as a theme for our next meeting. As a first entry, here is something that has been submitted.
COME TO THE TREE OF LIFE
by Nancy Miller
COME, COME TO THE TREE OF LIFE,
COME WITH YOUR JOYS AND COME WITH YOUR STRIFE.
COME IF YOU’RE SHORT, ROUND, SQUARE OR TALL,
THIS TREE CAN GIVE KNOWLEDGE AND COMFORT TO ALL.
THIS TREE HAS ROOTS AS DEEP AS ITS HEIGHT,
IT’S NURTURED BY TRUTH, COMPASSION AND LIGHT.
EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE HAS EFFECTS ON OUR TREE,
SO GOOD STEWARDS OF EARTH WE HELP EACH OTHER TO BE.
COME LITTLE CHILDREN AND PLAY IN IT’S SHADE,
AND LEARN OF THE WONDERS SPIRIT HAS MADE.
AND LISTEN TO STORIES THAT MAY MAKE YOU THINK,
THAT DECISIONS AND CHOICES, THEY ALL HAVE A LINK.
COME IF YOU’RE SEARCHING FOR MEANING OR TRUTH,
COME IF YOUR NAME IS WAMBE, OKALEEN OR RUTH.
COME HOLD HANDS AND FEEL RELIEF FROM YOUR STRAIN,
AND TIL YOU COME AGAIN, KEEP PEACE AND LOVE AFLAME.
The Tree of Life, No. I Desmond
The leaves arrayed around her shoulders and on her sides,
The stem started at the nape of her back and spread upwards,
Spreading left and right, with the trunk below and branches above,
Suggesting a phylogeny of relationships that may be true, or not.
I wondered why such a lovely, young woman would tattoo her back in this way,
And permanently adorn her body with this statement that seemed to be beyond her years,
Honoring the past and connecting with the future in ways known and not known,
Suggesting connections that may be real, and many that only may only be imagined.
We all feel a need to be a part of something big, starting before us, and lasting long after.
We see our fore bearers in ourselves, in our siblings and our off-spring, all around us.
Life moves unceasingly onwards, carrying all of us with it, winnowing and selecting,
Using life’s challenges to promote the fit and discard the rest, heartlessly.
Just as branches are shed as the tree grows, so does the tree of life grow through the strong,
Discarding the weak branches and shaded, the formerly beneficial but now not so much,
To support the greater good, the larger purpose, the overall plan, larger than leaves or needles,
To live again, longer and more productive, surviving against all odds.
DANCE WITH THE TREES by Nancy Miller ACROSS THE MILLENNIUMS, NATURE HAS EVOLVED VARIETIES ABUNDANT, SEPARATE FROM NOTHING ARE HER NATURAL CONTINUOUS ACHIEVEMENT. AND YES, IT WOULD ALL GO ON TO EXPAND AND CHANGE AND SWIRL, EVEN IF IT WERE UNOBSERVED IN ITS ABILITY TO CONTINUOUSLY UNFURL.
BUT OUT OF RANDOM CHANCE AND LIFE’S DELIBERATENESS TO BE,
A TINY SEED EMERGED WITH BREATHTAKING AND GLORIOUS CAPACITY. AND EVERY STEP IN EVOLUTION SO IMPORTANT, INTERWOVEN, LIKE THE ROOTS BENEATH A TREE,
ROOTS THAT ARE UNSEEN BUT CRITICAL TO PRODUCE YOU, A BLESSED FIVE SENSED ENTITY.
BECAUSE NO TWO SEEDS ARE EVER QUITE THE SAME, UNIQUENESS ABOUNDS AS FROM DIFFERENT LIFE’S JOURNEYS WE SEEK AND CLAIM.
AND IN TIME REFLECTIONS CHANGE IN THE MIRRORED PANE,
JUST AS FROM ROOTS THE SAPLING GREW, WE TOO ARE NURTURED BY THE SOIL, THE SUN, THE RAIN
SEE THE TREES, SO MAGNIFICENT, SO BEAUTIFUL, SO GRAND. THEY HOLD THE SOIL, GIVE OXYGEN AND FRUITS AND FROM THE SUN THEY KEEP YOU FANNED. YOU BREATHE THEIR OXYGEN, BUILD WITH THEIR WOOD AND TAKE THEIR FRUIT WITH YOUR HAND. BORN OF THE SAME STUFF, YOU AND THE TREES DANCE THE DANCE OF LIFE ACROSS TIME AND LANDS.
The Tree of Life
Trees are much like people, though way more patient.
People are, in some ways, like trees
From a seed…
…we both start, carrying much of our life’s framework provided by our parents.
To a seedling…
…struggling to survive, depending on resources provided to us.
To a sapling...
...getting our roots and feet on the ground. Being shaped by our surroundings. Starting to learn how to fit in our world.
To a tree…
… young. Growing, competing, learning.
…middle aged. Raising young, teaching, building girth (at least some of us)
.…elderly. Sharing wisdom and experience.
…declining. Reflecting, giving back.
We both draw nourishment from the earth, eventually returning to the earth
But trees do not get hung up by politics, social views and other human created social constructs.
We should be more, live more like trees.
- Joel Swanton
Twenty-three
by Vickie Swanton
When you are born, are you the person you should be? If a boy claims she knows she is a girl, who are we to dispute? Do we know better than she? How can we be so different? Are you a princess? An antagonist? A firefighter? What of an antagonistic firefighter princess? How many layers make up your being? Do I see your reflection in my mirror? Do you question life’s meaning? Do your actions show a passion and steadfastness? Would you protect your loved ones with all you have? All you are? Are we similar? The 23rd chromosome determines so much, and yet so little. If life’s meaning is procreation, then it is everything. If instead, the importance lies with happiness and love, then it is next to nothing. We are the same.
The Tree of Life
by Gayle Simmons
With branches reaching high as roots reach deep,
The tree of life shows us a mirror.
Above balances below, now balances before.
There is a connection.
Through its roots the tree of life carries tales:
The most hopeful acts, the darkest deeds before
That encourage and nurture, that discourage and harm.
The tree of life brings all into the light to help us live in the now.