Tree Gods
They wait, these trees.
Slender children of older gods,
Mighty as towers but long gone,
Fallen to ruin and leaf mould.
They wait, these trees.
Winters pass like melting snow;
The glades grow dense, with brambles
Hiding their burrowing feet.
Moss-furred stumps,
The bones of their ancestors
Remind them of past glories.
They wait, these trees.
Summers pass like blooming flowers.
The dells ring with song
And deer run in hidden paths
Of dappled sun and shade.
They wait, these trees.
The tiny child grows up,
Grows old and passes on,
Houses rise and houses fall
Towns boom, towns bust,
Kings and queens come and go.
The trees alone remain.
