Under A Stump (poem)

When I was on the golf course in Kent Island, MD with Vern, we saw a bunch of trees uprooted. There was serious beauty in these fallen trees, and the words "under a stump" grew into this poem...

Under a stump

I felt a lump

In my throat

Emotions so strong

They felled this tree

So big they came without warning

Without warring

Without a care

They dripped across my hair

Drops softly skidding each cheek

And through them these words came

Although firmly I stand my ground, the stump lays unearthed

So focused on meeting me that it decided to introduce every branch to the earth

And now breathing fresh air for the first time

The roots speak slowly and consciously

Outlining years of travel through the earth

Searching soil sources safely secure for the tree to grow

Focused and fierce for years

Knowing the needs and kneading the ground

And then something changed

The seasons came and then they left

Leaves blowing away and seeds growing anew

And the roots decided they wanted to feel the sun

Shining bright and bold and beautiful

Warming every layer of life

So without knowing they ended the game

Uprooting and blindly swallowing the sun

While the rest of the tree said goodnight

Forever felled falling soundly asleep

And now we stand sideways straight

Roots facing me for this final discussion

The percussion of my heart calling out

And then it comes

A calm so peaceful it startles the sky

Words without sounds

Time without toc

And together we drift

Under a stump