Old Oak

The old oak stands, two years now leafless. She’s still the signature tree of all the farm’s timberland and a meditation point for Quiet Garden.  Returning visitors who recall her in full glory are keenly disappointed.  I suggest they sit with her and wait.

We have lost her cool shade and vibrant colors but are grateful that her starker beauty provides a perpetual view of sky. She invites us to look for new patterns that her bare limbs sculpt in every direction. Her naked branches allow unprecedented observation of birds at work and play. No leaves muffle their songs.

What creatures seek shelter in her ever-hollowing core? She’s become a giant switching station over pasture reverting to savanna. She’s a welcome tower of hospitality for all arrivals rounding the bend in the drive. She embraces us from the east porch at any hour- a most trustworthy handhold that never breaks. She’s steadfast even in death.