One of the old growth redwoods in Montgomery Woods has recently fallen. This state reserve is about a 30 minutes drive from the northwest side of Ukiah. I walk here with some regularity, including full moon walks, and I’ve come to know these trees in a way that’s difficult to express.
fallen
take what light i have to give
my gentle friend
you are fallen splintered shattered
scattered all upon the hill
take what hope i have to share
for your rebirth
roots and limbs born out again
as skyward green
your absence will be remembered long
sung among the highest boughs
from whence you fell
the ancient order of the wood
will chant your transmigration through
realms of rain and fog
take what light i have to give
my heartwood friend
you are returned from whence you came
drying slowly in the gloom
feel what hope i strive to spread
throughout your broken form
find a place against the loam
to spread your leaves again
