I press my ear against her soft bark,
Damp and darkened by the cloud’s tears.
I hear an echo that envelopes my mind-
A familiar voice, without a face or a name- she is a vibration, she is a feeling.
Looking up, i watch her branches split the sky like an earth quake shattering the heavens.
Spanish moss drips down like solidified rain drops, frozen in time.
I sit upon her roots and dig my barren feet into the cool dirt
Amongst the acorns and shedding of her hair.
My nose is met with an earthly scent- a reminder to breathe.
This old tree watches lifetimes pass as the sun descends below the Earth, the moon rises into the ether, the stars wink at sleeping flowers, and the planets watch us dream.
I stay beside her until twilight cloaks the sky.
This old tree wears wisdom like a silken robe,
So beautiful in every crack and crevice of her body.
I count the stars with her until numbers turn to the sounds of beetle’s banter.
We all laugh together,
And fall asleep in the embrace of existence