A Tree of Driftwood

A story washed up this morning, a gift from the sea….

I found a tree of driftwood

All washed up on a concrete beach

At first, I thought it looked lonely there

But it had some things to teach

I placed my hand upon its bark

And it whispered me a tale

About the forest it once lived in

And how it learnt to sail

In the forest it was happy

He knew squirrels, birds and mice

It talked amongst the other trees

It’s life was ‘generally nice’

But something seemed to be missing

At night its heart would wonder

He’d talk to owls in its canopies

And wish that he could saunter

Then one day came an awful storm

He was ripped up from the ground

All that he knew became a memory

His whole world turned upside down

He found himself in a river

With salmon leaping high

He found some solace in travelling

And in watching clouds float by

The river led him to the sea

He heard the songs of whales

He saw other trees shaped into boats

By saws, and planes, and nails

And floating on the seven seas

His tree heart did finally know

Sometimes we’re lost unto ourselves

And in travelling we grow

Some trees aren’t meant for forests

They have hearts that long for more

Not meant to be carved into any shape

They just long to drift and to explore

They grow in ‘authentitree’

Being moved by moon and sea

At the end he said…

“You know my story though

Because you’re driftwood just like me”

Ged Thompson