Tree, Teach Me
Listen to Mona read her poem ...
Know your tree by the swell of your heart.
Touch your tree.
Feel the bark.
See branches soaring to the sky.
Step back.
When you return,
like you,
your tree is changed.
Tree, teach me stillness
for I am always in motion.
Tree, teach me to move towards light,
to nurture all within outstretched arms.
Tree, teach me bravery
in the darkness.
Tree, teach me to climb
one step at a time.
Tree, teach me kindness;
to bow to the wind.
Tree, teach me acceptance,
like you with leaf:
releasing, not losing.
Tree, you were born in ancient soil.
I was born in ancient spirit.
Let love be the only memory that remains.
Close your eyes.
Wherever you go.
Your tree, like home, is within you.
Touch your tree.
Feel the bark.
See branches soaring to the sky.
Step back.
When you return,
like you,
your tree is changed.
Tree, teach me stillness
for I am always in motion.
Tree, teach me to move towards light,
to nurture all within outstretched arms.
Tree, teach me bravery
in the darkness.
Tree, teach me to climb
one step at a time.
Tree, teach me kindness;
to bow to the wind.
Tree, teach me acceptance,
like you with leaf:
releasing, not losing.
Tree, you were born in ancient soil.
I was born in ancient spirit.
Let love be the only memory that remains.
Close your eyes.
Wherever you go.
Your tree, like home, is within you.
This poem is copyright (©) Mona Woods Voelkel 2024
About the Writer
Mona Woods Voelkel
As a Reading Specialist with over 20 years’ experience in the Bronx, Brooklyn and Valhalla, NY, Mona believes that poetry is magic. When poetry is part of a child’s day the words, pictures, and rhythms seep in and stay forever. As a writer, her plays have been staged locally and she is currently writing children’s poetry and picture books. Mona loves to spend time with friends, run along the Hudson River and paddle-board on Green Hill Pond in Rhode Island.
