A Kindness Of Trees Poem by Lynn Anne Brown

A Kindness of Trees
A little over 60 years ago a tree was planted in my name. Placed near the edge of a small clearing in a large,10 acres my mum would say, stand of Oak my grandfather kept alongside his ranches in the town of Kirkfield Ontario. And while I haven't seen that tree in more than 50 years the last time that I did, I could see that it had rooted well and had grown to near my height.
I was a lot shorter then, so maybe it stood four feet. It was strong and lushly leafed though not yet producing mast. It was both my anchor to the world we share as human and my passage way that other world that granted refuge when things got bad.
And things got bad. Greed drove his children, upon his death, to force the sale of lands on which my Grove stands. I no longer has access to my birth tree, my spiritual home, my roots.
And that's when I learned of the Kindness of Trees.
It took a while for me to really understand it.
To speak a language that makes no sense in words and yet celebrates in the stories they have helped create.
To realize that to speak to any tree is to speak with them all. That in each of them I could both find a way home to where my spirit was planted so long ago and make my way through worlds that offered wisdom when I needed it and towards wonders when I did not.
I learned that the Great Tree was not a single thought.
That it could not be contained in one idea.
That it willingly accepts every kindness that we share as offerings to peace.
I learned to listen for the things that are hard to hear when war drums sound and pipers scream that it is time to march.
And march we must, for even Peace has said 'This cannot go on! ! ! '
And a Kindness of Tree's has promised that 'We will watch you backs.'