A beautiful young woman that I met as a child in a dream... |
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 |