Wisdom Tree

Wisdom Tree A solitary man Makes his way up the mountain One step at a time The life he knows further and further behind He wishes to be alone Away from the busyness The noise Responsibility Activity Work that is never done Conflict The need to be in control He reaches the mountain top Sits down and crosses his legs He looks out at the landscape His village a small mass of thatched roofs People unseeable Smoke rises from a central fire The lake so small it looks like it can fit into a wooden spoon The horizon surrounds him He feels the pebbles beneath him Blades of grass are myopically large He watches as the ants toil Are their lives not the same? Seasons change Summer to fall winter to spring He witnesses it all His beard lengthened As his mind enlarged Secrets have been revealed He’s disconnected yet part of all The base of him grows into the ground Others journey to the mountain top Seeking his wisdom They sit with him for a while Never staying for long Each person takes so that they may give The wise man transformed Arms outstretched reaching to all the horizons Now covered with leaves The seasons continue to change He sends his leaves down to the village Beckoning them to the mountain Not wanting to be alone "Come sit beneath my branches caress my bark smell my scent know my soul." He’s no longer is able to speak All that he knows resides in the rings of his seasons Still he offers wisdom Put your ear to his trunk You can still hear his heart beat His breath whistles through the leaves His seeds cover your woolen coat You are a solitary man making your way down the mountain One step at a time Closer and closer to your village To the ones you love As you walk through the village you shake the seeds off your coat They fall on the fertile ground The wise man has finally come home.