Dream of Tree

When I am close to dying
I will go and stand
In the forest

I will put down roots
As I watch the mossy green
Begin to trace its way
From toe tips to ankles
And higher
Though I still do not know
Which way is North

As my skin begins
To harden ‘neath
The sun and rain and
Stormy winds
My arms and fingers
Long have gone for
Limbs and twigs

In Spring they will sprout
With blossoms
Then with tender leaves
They will bear within their
Sheltering branches nests
Full of beauty and of song

Just so might I stand
For centuries
Or perish from a single
Stroke of lightening
In a single night

But either way
I will have lived my dream