A long long
time ago
I planted a tree..
And for so
many years
it grew right
alongside me..

Its root network dug itself
so deep into my heart,
and into my brain..
and for its nourishment
The Tree
absorbed all of my joys..
and all of my pains.

A signature
of my past present
was encoded once
into the structure
of its many
annual rings.
Unto its fractal
crown of many
branches..
birds would land
to take their rest
and sing.

Its leaves would first
be green..
and then turn gold..
and then turn crimson red.
and then eventually
they shriveled up
and finally
were shed.

Oh, Tree of mine..
If only I could ask you
what had taken you away..
Did Zeus’s lightning strike you?
Or did the wayward winds
invisible, yet, mighty
smite you?
Were you cut down
by hooligans?
Or simply just grew old
and withered up
until you were dead?
Just like those leaves
of yours..
that once you used
to shed?

I cannot know..
All I have left
is but an imprint
of the once extensive
network..
marked upon me
by its roots
within my head
and within my chest.
Whatever may have
taken it away from me..
I hope it finds
its restful peace eternal..
in Death.