To Be Like a Tree (Poem by Carrie Newcomer)

To Be Like a Tree (Poem by Carrie Newcomer)
To Be Like a Tree, poem by Carrie Newcomer Braided Branches on Long Lake (pastel) by Polly Castor

To Be Like a Tree

See how the trees
Reach up and outward
As if their entire existence
Were an elegant gesture of prayer.
See how they welcome the breath of spirit,
In all its visible and invisible forms.
See how the roots reach downward and out,
Embracing the physical,
The body and bones
Of its soul of earth and stone,
Allowing half its life to be sheltered
in the most quiet and secret places.

Oh, if I could be more like a tree on this Sunday morning,
To feel the breath of invisible spirit
Touch me as tenderly as a kiss on the forehead.
If I could courageously and confidently
Dig down into the dark
Where the ground water runs deep,
Where shelter and sanctuary
Can be had and held.

Ah, to be like a tree
With all its bent and unbent places,
A whole and holy thing
From its topmost twigs
To the deepest taproot
To all the good and graceful
Spaces between.

by Carrie Newcomer

Tree at Camp Newfound (pastel) by Polly Castor
I work to amplify good wherever I find it. I love color, texture, beauty, great ideas, nature, metaphor, deliciousness, genuine spirituality, and exploring new territory. I encourage authenticity, nurture creativity, champion sustainability, promote peace, and hope to foster a new renaissance where we all are free to be our most fulfilled, multifaceted, and terrific selves. Read more here.

2 Comments

  1. Myra Rucker 3 months ago

    Beautiful artwork. Lovely poem. Thank you. 😊

  2. Bill Kilgour 3 months ago

    I cheris …your poem & graphics, . . . . because . . . .
    each & together. compliments a C.S. Sunday School curriculum
    I am exploring /proposing / trying-out,
    ( For middle & HS learners. )

    The poem and graphics help give substance to a fresh vitality for
    lessons. We call it. —>. ” SUNDAY MORNING TREE CLIMBING ”

    OUR main model is diagram of a PANION TREE … with many stems /roots
    supporting an extensive upper story of horizontal, interconnected branches
    & foliage. . . . easy to climb through, explore, … to see how they all strengthen each other.
    (And how they are all supported by the roots nurtured by the foundation basic resources / principles
    that ‘justify’ / authorize the expansive vitality of this hugh tree (as a tree of life.)

    AS WE CLIMB-AROUND in these firm structures … we can think-of … even label some of them
    “synonyms” of Diety, and some of them “principles” that reinforce spiritual understanding.
    YOU can play with this model. You can see analogies, models, connections, applications.
    Go with it. Please share with me some of your ‘pioneering’. up in the lofty branches.
    Bill. @. Benign-to-de-Max ….@ gmail.com. Sept 3,24

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