A Strong Tree I Stand - a poem from my secret red book of poetry

This is a rare poem that I have written. I'm not much for poetry, but this is one that brewed in me for the longest time and then it was born. I've posted it on this blog before, and I've read it several times in public venues. It seems right to post it this month of January as we enter the new year during the drab, grey season of winter.

I hope you enjoy the imagery. It still speaks deeply to me every time I read it. 


                                                           
                                                      A Strong Tree

A strong tree I stood

Confident of my vigor and green
Clustered leaves covered proud limbs
My shade gave comfort to many souls
You should have seen me then

The beauty of the strength of my gifting
To birds of the air
And children who climbed
To lovers lost in gaze and poets who wept
Their tears inspired by my towering strength

A song I was
Each day I radiated life
I, the strong tree, mattered.

Then came the cold winter winds
Slowly my leaves fell from my limbs
Leaves of pride and dignity
My strength, identity
They fell

There I stood
Stripped
Naked
Vulnerable

In grief I looked at my beautiful leaves
Like fallen laundry on the earth below
I watched them turn to dust

No more poets cry beneath me
Where are the lovers who loved in my shadow?

Stripped of my strength, of my beautiful gifting

My limbs stand bare
No longer masked by pride
I am bare as hope

The winds blow some more
I feel them and shake
Trembling with fear as
I stand helpless under the sky
Of the Great Creator God

Why does he ravage me?


The lovers are gone
No poets sing my verse
Alone I have become with my dust

But I can smell the rains
I can see the sun far away
Her light breaking
Like the lovers I miss
The rain weeps as did the poets I have known

My bare limbs hunger for sun and soaking
By fire and rain

In nakedness I discover the beauty of humility and weakness.

A strong tree I stand