I'm the spirit of the Oak a lifeblood of a forest flows through my veins,
My roots are connected to many others sharing the same joys and pains,
From cold Winter chill to Summer thirst my brethren are together strong,
And when the wind blasts us you can hear through our foliage ancient song.
I touch the lifeflow that courses in all you see and most of what you do not,
You may think wrongly that I am static rooted only to this very spot,
But you are mistaken for my branches bend and I shake my leaves and sigh,
I can reach far down into the earth and beyond and up towards the sky.
I cling fast to others an underground network of huge information lines,
We exchange a silent energy that goes way beyond any understanding minds,
Our Mother is the Earth and we cling to her for life happy in her blessings,
Count my age when I am felled as you break me open to read my rings.
My bark is weathered like your skin but nowhere near as fragile or as soft,
Sometimes at night under the stars I creak aloud as I turn my sight aloft,
And watch the heavens and wonder at the many decades that came and went,
Guardians of the land which man would destroy then oft repent.
I whisper through my leaves and tell our tales to all who have mind to hear,
And when you see my sap bleed you know like you I shed a silent tear,
I drink through my roots and feed on the rains that wash away man's taint,
Little do my family like the chemicals and waste that clumsy man has sent.
I turn towards the sun and feed on the light and grow as surely as you,
If only man could hear our words and know our hearts were stoic and true,
We hold all together the lifepulse that blooms and sings and plays,
Would that man could be as true living in harmony with us during his days.
I have watched deer run and listened to the birds and all their chatter,
And know first hand how a growing thirst of climate changed can matter,
I have been scorched by fire and hacked and ploughed but still I live,
My surroundings change but not my heart and the joy I have to give.
Ley lines call to me and I sense their power a gradual shifting ebb and flow,
You play with Mother Earth and she screams to us but you do not know,
I would that bare feet could touch the very soil we stand in and then hear,
Or touch us with your palms or face and feel us shiver at times of fear.
My friends are Elm and Sycamore and our branches touch and sway together,
We have seen the glory of the Spring bulbs and tasted the acid in weather,
I have brothers Birch and Elder who from furthest points keep in touch,
My sister Willow weeps alone by the riverbank since disease hurt her much.
Moss caresses my side and squirrels play up and down my trunk all day,
Ivy tried to climb me but I choked it from beneath lest it find it's way,
Above the crows nest and I chuckle at their inane blunders and tales,
Of talk from furthest shores of deadly rain brought by explosive gales.
I can taste Mother Earth's disapproval and yet she still has faith like us,
We stand alone to watch and wait and are not quick to raise a fuss,
Sometimes children come to play on a rope they fastened to my bough,
Other times lovers come to seek shade and give me fresh hope somehow.
With every new heart comes new hope and I strain to feel their voice,
To wish themselves part of the whole and feel as one with us by choice,
I am Mighty Oak and my wise counsel is always heard and heeded well,
So I wish with all my fibre that man does not fall to his own deafless spell.
Hundreds of feet away I drink from a cool stream that feeds the lake,
I can feel the digging of the mole and the slithering of a long grass snake,
Reverberations tell me what is where even when I cannot see like you,
My senses extend from tip to root and my dream is to travel like others do.
If only I could see the fields beyond the forest and gaze on cliffs beyond,
Reach for the towers of man's design and to my words have man respond,
We all have dreams and goals as I have found contentment where I grow,
Peace and accomplishment are mine where acorn falls then roots below.
These days I am more tired of late and sleep a good part of my time,
I still encourage the saplings to learn and listen for any warning sign,
My breath speaks to those who wish to listen and learn of our tongue,
I still sway to the mating dance and tell the stories of our old Creation song.
From garden Apple and Cherry to coastal Tamarisk and country Yew,
My brethren share a common heart and herd the flowers and sing to you,
Awaiting all man's understanding when lost ear will hear and treasure,
For we never tire of believing our world is shared by all in equal measure.
We are stronger together and children of Mother Nature's Earth and skies,
All creatures living have a part to play from being born to when it dies,
The song of life calls to all life and is born in all things if you could but see,
So I reach out my branches and ask that you try to hear and work with me.
It's taken me many years to make the birds understand my needs and hear,
At first they struggled and stumbled and felt all was complicatedly unclear,
But now they are my friends and the insects too help me as we all get along,
Some are enemies others are friends but we all sway to rhythm of one song.
So as the moonlight touches my side and I yawn and slumber in the night,
I would have you believe as I do that all this planet can be slowly put right,
It starts with one act and one whisper that becomes a choir if given time,
Dance to the orchestra around you and listen within to follow our sign.
Take the step feel the peace and share the energy that courses through us all,
Let your heart beat to the rhythm of life and the endless hope in the call,
We're all of a network in which energy flows strongly within and without,
So turn on, tune in and dance with joy as we share in hope erasing doubt.