Ode to Trees
Dear friends
Over the week I have been contemplating the wonder and the worth of our friends the ‘Trees’.
Please find joy and appreciation in my ‘Ode to Trees’.
Take time to find yourself a tree to visit and share with, make friends with and you will never feel lonely.
ODE TO TREES
To the beloved company of our tall and sturdy many varied friends, the Trees;
Wherever you are; whatever you are;
We give thanks.
We thank you for growing and greening this planet, our shared home.
We thank you for giving calm, cool shade
And sheltering us from heat, wind and rain.
We thank you for standing by us,
As we sit and walk amongst you or take rest beneath you.
For being there in quiet non-judgement when all others have left us lonely.
We thank you for reminding us,
To stay steadfast and strong when the ways and winds of the world
Try to tear us, turn us or tip us over.
We thank you for your intimate connection and support to life and living creatures;
For the air that fills our lungs, for purifying the water that runs in our veins,
For providing the eco-systems that create and connect all living creatures.
We thank you for your beautiful fragrant blossoms and scented leaves;
For your nuts, berries and fruits,
That feed us and so many of our world’s wildlife in all forms and fashion.
We thank you for your timber, the very substance of your majestic presence
That has built our homes, fuelled our fires, built our boats;
And for the vast amounts of coal and oil that drive our engine’s.
We also thank you for the glistening diamonds,
That sparkle like radiant distant stars,
Yet started out as your body, limbs or branches.
We thank you for your varied shape, form and colours
That bring us great joy and delight,
Especially to the eyes of the artists among us or within us.
We thank you for your strength and support; for tranquil meditation and deep contemplation in your shade; for all the revelations and realisations happening in your quiet company,
Shared through the life and words of sages, saints and saviours inspired by your sheltering magnitude.
For all this and so much more, we give thanks, eternal thanks to all of you, whether you stand alone or stand in pairs; whether you stand in groups, in clumps, in forest groves, in jungles, savanna or wilderness, or simply in our humble gardens.
To all trees, great and small; young and old;
Straight or bowed, green or grey;
We give thanks to your life – because you are our Life.
John B.
