A family of trees
Stays true to its roots
Sinks deep to quench a thirst
Ancient and insatiable
Determined to be stable
As well as free
Branch these crooked fingers out to the sky
And the sun shines a smile
On each weary leaf
Glistens a energy
That livens up each stem
They stiffen to attention
And soak the wisdom in
The very core of their being is lifted
levitating
Rippling out into new possibilities
The struggle and competition
For nutrients is endless
But the urge to live is powerful
Graced with rain
The dew spheres dance
swaying and swelling in the  cells

The spacious forest
Turns to thickets
Location gives advantages
The privileged grow greedy
And the rest grow weedy
Flexi fibers lack the strength
To stretch upward any longer
Their core too encumbered
In the absence of the sun
They begin to live in the shadow of another
Their limber bodies swoon
Curving down to the ground
The weight of the world
Resting heavy on their tense shoulders
The rest continue to gravitate to a ball of fire
Like a moth to a flame
Absorbing a lovely nectar of truth
But soon the heat begins to penetrate
Deeper and deeper into their thick skin
Scorching
******* out all that love within
Fire breathes into the family
The dragon gains speed
And feeds on the dead needles
Before leaping into the canopy
In unity they stand tall
Individually they fall
But even if you burn this down
And a phoenix grows from the ashes
The cones would not spread life
Without the aid of a fire breather
And the cycle of life begins once again
Every tree germinated and reborn
With new eyes and open arms
Ready to let the wild nature of life
Back into their souls