A Life Unexpected – For a Tree
My father pilots his tree-beaten log hauler through the forest
The season is not fall or autumn, it’s firewood-gettin’ season
I sit next to him – two bottles of water, two apples and my mixed feelings between us
The Ford blue truck halts in front of a colossal, upright, bloodless tree
I watch my mixed feelings drift out the cracked-open window
Like warm breath caressing cold air
We are only after the dead ones – relief like rain after a devastating drought
Roaring chainsaw, crashing lumber, I smile
Surprise at my upturned lips flows into recognition
I am this tree
Standing tall among it’s kind
It doesn’t realize its sap has dried up
The roots have loosened their grip on the earth
It bears seeds no more
No fuzzy buds of new growth
There are no brilliant leaves to shed this year
Its skin is mostly gone, exposing it to disease and infestation
The chain bisects this mighty tree and reveals rot, powdered wood, loosened soul
A dazed, evicted mouse bounces away
It’s comfortable life – interrupted – not allowed to fall in it’s own time
And remain on the forest floor to fertilize the ground as it decays
It’s saplings look on as we claim it for fuel
What once was dead
Brings heat, comfort
Peace of mind in the approaching winter
A second chance to complete its purpose
The cycle of life, soul restored
In the most unlikely of circumstances – for a tree
*Inspired by the lyrical voice of E. Annie Proulx, The Shipping News – my current read – and forest excursions with my father
