In the quiet
you stand
ready for
a new beginning.

You’re as wide
as you are tall,
shady fellow.

The sun rises
to bless leafy
head with light
while life explodes
around your ankles.

Rabbits scurry
underneath,
an acorn drops,
a woodpecker knocks.

Bark thick with age,
cupped leaves
wave hello
like angel hands.

Limbs drape down,
a waterfall
lending shade to
the swing beneath
that patiently
waits for me.

Published in
The Avocet: A Journal of Nature Poetry,
Summer 2014