A Lasting

you are the tree i've watched for years
you do not bend too far
in the wind you only respond
and acknowledge that the wind, too, is good.

 splayed arms against charred skies
admired and quiet in the noise
we all watch you settling storms on your back,
what do you call your place in this?

i lunge here and there at night
over notebooks with crazy closed eyes
whether to cut your legs out from under you
or curl into your branches
you are more shelter and temptation than you know.

i wonder if you could imagine me
in time with you
a tree outside the forest, myself
whipped in winters and sun
notice that solitude
and the power of staying

how i look
what i see

i revel from here over
your stillness and
your movements in it all.
you are magnificent
and humble me.

these are what fools who move down concrete and ice
seek in their restlessness
a will, unmoved as yours

you see years and know and
i notice moments of nights and do not,
herein lies a greatness
and a lasting.