Ode To An Old Tree

Ode To An Old Tree

I have a secret place in a great forest
Inside the heartwood of an old Redwood tree
Perhaps carved out by some ancient fire
Deep enough to be unseen
There are no paths to it
No one has ever been there but me
I have only gone there in my dreams

A mysterious fog hangs through this forest
It is always raining lightly when I'm there
I am naked huddling in this heartwood cave
Not cold or fearful, only delighted, I am
This is where I gather up hope
This is where I store my treasure
No one knows that I have this secret place
I only go there in my dreams

Were it to be discovered by a stranger
He would laugh and say “Ah, but the heartwood cave is empty”
Or maybe, “It is just a silly old tree”
It seems that only I can see the hidden riches there
As sure as tomorrow's sunrise, higher than flight
As real as a number, more loving than the seasons
I can only see them in my dreams

I was very young when first I found the heartwood cave
And I was not alone, she was there
Naked as me with long auburn hair
Unspeaking, we huddled together
Not cold or fearful, only delighted at everything, we were
I have only known her in my dreams

Even as the river carves deeper through her canyons
Time and dreams have come and gone
And each time I go back to the old tree
I pause to listen for her footstep
Or maybe to feel her shoulder touching mine
Wondering, if by some odd chance
I would find her once again in my dreams

Last night, I went alone again to that secret place
Where in this short lifetime I've stored up my treasure
I saw the emeralds and sapphires
Of her eyes, her fingertips, her long auburn hair
And a million possible tomorrows
A light rain was gently falling
So I asked the old tree
Do you think she forgot the way to this great forest?
Somewhere very deep in the heartwood came back a whisper
That even from a very great distance, she knew
That's where she would find my heart
But she can only go there in her dreams