Every nerve is exposed to insects and axes
My bark, stripped clean
The lines and circles connecting everything revealed
Strips, like bone holding me together
Circles that mark time
Knots, where the blade has healed
But not forgotten
My life, no longer a happy sweet song
But instead the knowledge of what went wrong
The birds stripped me for their own
Lightning struck because I would not atone
Fire burned until I stood alone
Still, no matter the wind and the rain
I stand tall
For my roots, the legacy of all I have buried
My branches, to touch where their souls were sent
And all who gather underneath the canopy
Are welcome to tell their tales of sorrow
For what is left for us to do
But to give our children the gift of tomorrow