The mosaic pattern visible in my skin
My smooth soft vulnerable container
Thickening into creases of rough hard bark
If I were a tree grown up and old
Rooted in the place where I began life
Determined to make the best of my circumstances
Developing using local resources only
If I were a tree standing here now
Walking among the big trees in these woods
Under their high canopy of green leaves
The span of history held in their growth rings
Extends beyond any person alive today
Responding to the personified structure of trees
With limbs for arms and a trunk for a torso
Inviting a hug from admirers passing by
If you want to embrace nature
The story of all that they have witnessed
Known only to these giant individuals
Whispers to us in the rustling leaves
If you stop to listen to the forest
