AN ODE TO TREES

       An Ode to Trees

      Trees.  Miracles.  Gifts given to us, asking nothing in return except to respect their place in the wheel of life.  Stately arms, reaching up and out, welcoming all creatures, great and small.  They offer so much: a cool place to rest awhile from the heat of summer, protection from rain, and outstretched limbs to climb to seek out our next adventure.  Springtime bursts forth with new buds on each branch, with the promise of new hiding places for us and for out feathered friends.  In the fall, they explode with a glorious and riotous display of browns, golds and oranges for our eyes to behold.  All through the winter, the firs and pines hole the promise of shelter from the storms and the assurances that spring will come again.  Ice forms crystalline structures that sway and dance like translucent wind chimes, even as the snow creates a pristine sea of white.
        As the colorful array of leaves begin to fall, the trees' majestic structures stand out as if etched into the sky, branches extended, embracing each day with renewed anticipation of what may come.  Each one a unique blueprint of perfection, a celebration of every season, their beauty, as yet, unequaled by mankind.
        They stand as silent sentinels, the stillness broken only by the wind as it sweeps through the forests, seeking out each limb and twig, brushing all with it's touch.  The leaves make visible to us that which we feel caressing our skin, whirling and dancing, and lifting our hearts, ever upward, spiraling up to the heavens.
         We can stand amongst the giants of old, dwarfed and enfolded by the stately monoliths and ponder our existence.  Our regal friends help us to keep a perspective on how brief our stay is here on Mother Earth.
        Slow down, take the time to grow, I hear them whisper.  Draw your strength from the roots that anchor us and hold strong.  Feed your soul and your heart with  knowledge older than mankind, secrets our elders were well aware f.  Walk among these elegant titans, beautiful in any season, breathe in their essence, drink the elixir in through your pores and bow your head in reverence of trees.