The Tree Whale crashed here long ago
When forests ceased their wooden flow,
It beached upon the grassy hill
And then for aeons lay quite still.

It used to soar, it used to swim
Where sunbeams spill upon the rim
Of chestnut leaves and oaken crowns
Where eagles cry their regal sounds.

It used to see the clouds curl round
A distant sky where lands are found
Where Tree Whales sing of times gone by
Before the rocks bricked up the sky.

Now overgrown with chanterelles
It hatches plans in dappled dells,
And there it nurtures baby seeds
In mossy nests with thorny weeds.

Then after time two tender stalks
Stretch and spread like timid hawks.
They rise and rise above the whale
And then they bloom…

And then set sail.

The Tree Whale lifts its bleary eye
To watch its children wave goodbye.
It knew all things must change or end
And only hopes they’ll be its friend.

It stays and sighs upon the floor
And wishes wood would flow once more
So that it might rise with the tide
Away from where it’s had to hide.

—

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