A Tree Without Leaves

Standing tall
here I am
attune to the future
but grounded in the past

sturdy and strong
a constant all along
I hear that lovely song

the seasons have come one by one
blustery and boisterous
bellowing amid clouds of grey
and with the years
most now drift away

left alone to till, to toll, to toil
this soul's tested and soiled
rooted in goodness and grace
just waiting
for you and that happy face

leaves blow about in the wind
I breathe and take it all in
the beauty and what's about to begin

your back rests upon me
looking out trying to find
what's really growing within
a plume of a passionate mind
a trusting of kind tattooed

etched in the shape of a heart
unearthed with endless rings of meaning
holding on to a hope
that love was once
and will always be true