I Want To Be A Tree (For the beautiful Ms. Angela)

I want to be a tree…
And raise my head and hands to the azure blue
To feel the wind blow in my leaves

and dig my toes deep into the rich black earth.

 

I want to be a tree…
A home for birds and squirrels
And welcome the pileated

to tap-tap the rhythm of the woods.

 

I want to be a tree…
To bend my boughs to the passing breeze

and hear my mighty arms creak and sway as it passes by.

 

I want to be a tree…
Tall and mighty I will stand till one day

When I lend my wood to some great ship or home.

 

I want to be a tree…
And be carved into a canoe

to run the rapids of some great river.

 

I want to be a tree…
And when I am,

I hope you’ll rest beneath my canopy

and keep cool in my welcoming shade.

 

I want to be a tree…
And when my numbered days are done,

back into the rich deep earth

I’ll go for some other tree to grow.

 

Brian D. Griffin