One tree composes the entire sassafras grove
Vegetative manifest destiny propels its growth
Even as the green leaves turn black
I searched for that sinful seed
That began this unchecked growth
Of endless reproducing replicates
Fatigue, distrust, remorse
Anticipation, heartache, shame
Every emotion I encountered
Claimed to be a person with that power
Yet feelings are false and can be fallen
The bark I’ve scratched, the leaves I’ve torn
Some I’ve even overcome
Still the forest only thickened more
Then I fell myself
Now my ambition, once unjustified and diffuse
Sprouts with the vigor of sassafras
Reclaiming land thought lost with a green
And very visible hand that holds onto mine
The forest continues to densen
Sweet sinful confusion still conceals the heart
Beating the path has only become harder
But in your eyes I see my pain
Irrelevant as the means to the end
We will find the root
And steep its very core
We will drink it
And we will see more
Background:
Info and pictures of sassafras: http://forestry.ohiodnr.gov/sassafras. Relevant is that sassafras trees can reproduce by vegetative propagation so an entire lot can actually be a single tree.
Sassafras tea has been said to have medicinal properties and used to be the flavoring used for “root” beer. However, laboratory tests have shown that safrole, a chemical found in sassafras and other plants, may be carcinogenic and has been connected to liver cancer in lab mice (although these tests were performed using rather high dosages).