I went to a place
On a trail by my home
One day
I took a picture of it
My Picture Place

A certain tree
Shaped oddly, mysteriously
Makes me laugh and smile
Every time I see him
He and I know each other well

Sometimes the tree
Talks wisely and truthfully
I ponder on his thoughts
He is normally correct
When we argue selfishly

When he cries
I know why
I am the constant cause
Though my eyes are dry
My heart floods with undeniable pain

We talk of all topics
His smile is unique also
He has a heartbeat too
I am most happy
When I am close enough to hear it

Fear, denial, ignorance
Haunt, loss, anger
Are only his leaves
He has lost and regained
Those leaves multiple times, and more to come

Curiosity, forgiveness
A calming trait
Make up his branches
They hold up the leaves
That frighten me so

His trunk runs to the earth
Sturdy and strong
Reliable
Young and old
Wind blows relentlessly and he still stands

His roots are free of leaves
Love, acceptance and passion
Run through him under the protective dirt
I sit upon that supports me
The root to my life

I am the wind that scars him
I am the dirt that protects him
I am the water to nurture him
I am the fire to burn him
I am the sun that teaches him

I have seen all of his rings
That show he is still growing
All the rings show me something new
Every ring is different and beautiful
The rings show me we have time to grow or die

I am
In love with a tree
Who holds his own
Holds me when I need it
And is much more than a tree I stumbled upon on a walk