If I Were a Tree

I wonder what it would be like,

if I were a tree

and I was everything that a tree could be.

/

I could sink my toes into muddy soil

where the earthworms wriggle

and my roots could dig deep,

zigzagging beneath the uneven ground

circling back to trip children

with their clumsy feet.

/

Would I prefer to be a tree

born anew for a hundred years

to watch over the couple newly in love

or give a squirrel a happy home

to let the woodpecker knock outside my door

or draw lightning from the clouds above?

/

I’m always entranced by giant beasts

that sway the direction of prevailing wind.

I’ve always listened more deeply

as they sing their song in rustled leaves

and send seeds away on gentle breeze

to create

more and more and more

and more trees.