A Gathering of Old Trees
By Don Iannone

Old trees gather in the woods.
At first, I think in horror
that it is a nursing home for dead wood,
a place where the trees come to die.
Then, I see the gathering
as a roadside rest area,
where the trees catch their breath
as they make their long journey
back to the earth they never left.

Their roots anchor and steady them
so they grow outward and upward
throughout their lives.
Their many branches balance them
like out-stretched arms in the wind.
Now gnarled and barren,
the branches speak volumes
about the trees' many lives.
So much karma, I think.

Each branch is a miraculous
adventure in search of light.
While each tiny twig has
followed a different path,
all eventually point upward.
Each knows exactly what
it must do to survive.
I wonder if the trees miss their leaves,
like old men miss their hair.
I smile as I imagine the trees with toupees.

It occurs to me that each old tree is a planet
in the larger forest galaxy.
Suddenly I see the forest for the trees.
While more fragile now,
the old trees are quite stately.
There is a weathered handsomeness
about the old trees.
Most have aged gracefully,
like refined old women
whose eyes still sparkle
at the sight of handsome young men.

I hear playful laughter in the distance.
It is the younger trees,
who joyously reach out
and pluck ripe sundrops from the sky.
Their laughter reminds the old trees
that their lives were, after all, worthwhile.
They know there will be a tomorrow.

Old trees are very wise, you know.
So much they have learned
through the many seasons of their lives.
Their bark, branches and roots
are vast libraries preserving their wisdom,
which the wind passes on through the trees' seeds
to future generations.

For now, the young trees across the way
are too busy growing to see
the wisdom filling their limbs.
That's ok, for someday they will
join the gathering of old trees.
Then they will have plenty of time
to reflect upon their lives.

The old trees teach me to stand tall,
branch out to find the sunshine in my life,
use my roots to grow from, and do the best
I can from my place in life everyday.
I am thankful for the gathering of old trees.
Someday I hope to join them.