Tree of Life - Image c Lynda LehmannWitness the great tree: the overarching Tree of Life.
It spreads and reaches....
soaking in light from above
to nurture the growth
of all its branches.
We are like the twigs,
works-in-progress growing,
turning, striving, streaming
and
bifurcating from branches
larger than we.
We are each rooted in
humanity, as each branch
springs from the tree.
But on a tree,
divergent branches although separate,
do not turn on themselves,
nor on others.
Nor do they ridicule those
weaker tentacles whose growth
does not rival their own.
Because they remember
being tender shoots
themselves,
barely differentiated from the flesh
of the great trunk,
they know their origin,
respect it,
and are humbled.
Mindful, they know their attachment
to something greater:
a force that nurtures them while still
enlisting them to provide.
There are no outcasts among branches.
Nor scorn for angling off
in a different direction.
For each twig and branch
sees its own way
towards the light.
****
The branch reaches far
yet gives thanks for its base,
its connection to
the larger tree.
No branch stands
on a pinnacle
to proclaim its sovereignty.
Lording not, over others.
Nor does it claim
more than its share
of root's nourishment
or succor of light.
A single branch
is gangly, awkward, lost...
unrelated...
yet a tree brims
with the hope
of all levels of life
reaching
for more of itself.
A branch splintered
from The Whole,
loses stability, sustenance, meaning.
Embedded in its cells,
the code,
calling for contribution
but not conformity...
to evolve in concert with The Whole.
We have much to learn
from mingled branches
that together stand proud, as
the Tree of Life.
A World of Their Own - Image c Lynda Lehmann
It spreads and reaches....
soaking in light from above
to nurture the growth
of all its branches.
We are like the twigs,
works-in-progress growing,
turning, striving, streaming
and
bifurcating from branches
larger than we.
We are each rooted in
humanity, as each branch
springs from the tree.
But on a tree,
divergent branches although separate,
do not turn on themselves,
nor on others.
Nor do they ridicule those
weaker tentacles whose growth
does not rival their own.
Because they remember
being tender shoots
themselves,
barely differentiated from the flesh
of the great trunk,
they know their origin,
respect it,
and are humbled.
Mindful, they know their attachment
to something greater:
a force that nurtures them while still
enlisting them to provide.
There are no outcasts among branches.
Nor scorn for angling off
in a different direction.
For each twig and branch
sees its own way
towards the light.
****
The branch reaches far
yet gives thanks for its base,
its connection to
the larger tree.
No branch stands
on a pinnacle
to proclaim its sovereignty.
Lording not, over others.
Nor does it claim
more than its share
of root's nourishment
or succor of light.
A single branch
is gangly, awkward, lost...
unrelated...
yet a tree brims
with the hope
of all levels of life
reaching
for more of itself.
A branch splintered
from The Whole,
loses stability, sustenance, meaning.
Embedded in its cells,
the code,
calling for contribution
but not conformity...
to evolve in concert with The Whole.
We have much to learn
from mingled branches
that together stand proud, as
the Tree of Life.
A World of Their Own - Image c Lynda LehmannMY BLOGGING FRIENDS: Just a note to tell you that this will most likely be my last post for a week or two, because of other projects I have to attend to. Everything is fine; I'm just busy.
I WILL however, visit your sites and comment, and respond to your comments here. Any constructive criticism on the poem is most welcome! And I'll be back to post as soon as I can. Love and peace to you....
Journey - Image c Lynda Lehmann
I WILL however, visit your sites and comment, and respond to your comments here. Any constructive criticism on the poem is most welcome! And I'll be back to post as soon as I can. Love and peace to you....
Journey - Image c Lynda LehmannAll images and text c Lynda Lehmann. If you would like to view more of my art or make a purchase, please visit Lynda Lehmann Painting and Photography or my gallery at Imagekind, where you can choose from several sizes and paper types or buy my prints plain or matted and framed.
