The Damsel Trees

*

as he spoke, the grass began to bristle,

sending signals directly to her roots.

apparently, her dander, like a thistle

relayed the message; she wasn't one to follow suit

*

she hesitated, giving him the benefit

her slow reaction gave him pause, before he smiled

she let it slide, she was a kind of realist

she'd wait to see if his bark surpassed his bite.

*

this summer day, he wandered further than before

to find the spot, located in a scene, surreal

a brief escape, an escapade through forest floors

a place of peace and nature was the grand appeal

*

he'd found her once when youth was all he'd ever known

a tender reed left to grow both wild and free

a gentle kiss, imagination made the feeling grow

a flowering vine once started as a helpless seed

*

he sat with her amongst the redwood saplings,

a cluster fondly named the damsel trees

where first they met, listening to the gentle babbling

all the stories flowing down the winding stream

*

she showed him all the beauty of the forest

the secrets hidden deep beneath the soil

danced and twirled as the wind whistled a chorus

wrapped up in fragrance of magnolia oil

*

he grappled with the thought of true surrender

amazed with her attention to detail

soaked up every ounce of nature's splendor

his world next to hers completely paled

*

he witnessed a world emersed in conversation

though no-one ever once uttered a word

the give and take without needing cessation

a strange and foreign concept to his world

*

observing her compassion to each small bud

she tenderly gave refuge to the bees

he couldn't understand where her name came from

why would they refer to them as damsels trees

*

there was nothing of her, he'd seen, as a weakness

never did he hear her ask for help

she showered the whole forest with uniqueness

put her needs away upon a shelf

*

he asked her once, while they sat contently

soaking up the sun rays of late day

she swayed to face him in a flow so gently

he'd forgotten what he expected her to say

*

he felt the love she felt for him like thunder

she pressed upon him dew drops from the rain

then shielded him just like a new umbrella

flowed through him like the warm blood in his veins

*

he began to understand and crave connection

this language spoken without the use of words

he begged of her the answer to his questions

how could he become a fixture in her world

*

she reminded him to be part of the forest

sometimes death must happen to generate rebirth

he said he longed to be more than a tourist

he needed to be one with mother earth

*

she lovingly shook her branches gently over him

until he felt the fullness in her limbs

teaching him the trueness of her being

the secrets of becoming, once again

*

never again to wear the warm flesh on his hands

completely bare of the skin upon his foot

losing the title, he proudly wore as a man

connecting instead with what flows to the root

*

he swore he understood the changes coming

willingly he would accept any backlash

gladly welcoming the path of his undoing

living somewhere within her abstract

*

she decided she would grant to him his longing

setting neath her branches, fell asleep

the soft green moss over him, began crawling

till the forest’s transformation was complete

*

his form began to mirror the shape of scenery

as she stretched her branches out over the lake

bark covered up his flesh, once soft and pink

and she waited for her lover to awake

*

the life breath breezes gently began blowing

stirring up his spirit deep inside

the peace she had washed over all his knowing

he was living though he knew that he had died

*

together now they sway into the wild wind

through the seasons together they stay standing strong

connected and forever intertwined

composing their own unending song