Some people pretend the years have stood still, others are happy to celebrate the milestones gratefully passed. Lis chose to celebrate. I wrote this poem for
my friend aged sixty.
SIX TREES
Walking
through a woodland maze, I see you
A sapling
bending freely with the breeze.
Slender
limbs reach for blue skies,
Your roots
seek hidden seas.
Beside a
chattering stream, I see you
A willow
dressed in flowing green.
Moved to
song by sparkling water,
You
harmonise its diamond dreams.
In summer’s hazy
meadow, I see you
A chestnut, branches
draped in home grown cloth.
Children,
grass, and flowers, play around you
Comforted by
a show of permanence.
On a
rock-strewn hillside, I see you
Battling
rowan, strong against the storm.
Standing separate,
but not alone
Red berries
decorate your crown.
Guarded by
tall pines, I see you
Red sycamore
clothed in autumn leaves.
Your seeds,
a twirling party of flight,
Send kindly
signals across the land.
Darker now, but
still I see you
A birch
frozen silver by the moon.
Wearing bright
rings of wisdom lightly,
Straight
towards the stars you grow.
Some no
longer feel the warmth of sunshine.
Some are
chopped down, untimely, for the fire.
May green leaves
return for you each spring
To bathe you
once again in solar power.
Andrew Shephard
May 2014
I am in awe of this poem. It is beautifully written and very moving. I feel sure that your friend will know just what a precious gift she has received.
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