Where the arroyo ends
at a man-made berm
a tree sings the history of the mountain
its roots pull from the earth.
It sings the migration of atoms
and electrons from ground to sky.
And the natural chemical processes
altering substances.
The tree sings to attract those
who could make this spot a place of worship,
instead of a pause along a trail
that leads farther up the mountain.
It sings of a time when trees
shepherd the earth again.
copyright © 2020 Kenneth P. Gurney
