Among the Trees

a villanelle

I have sought among the trees for peace,
And found in their shade a quiet knowledge;
There is a humbling silence in their ancient speech.

The echoes of time are within their sky-bound reach,
And to find my own small sound in their endless song
I have sought among the trees for peace.

The many years I spent, wasted, in universities,
and the words I threw, mindless, at the world, seem trite;
There is a humbling silence in their ancient speech.

And all the wild students I thought I could teach,
Have grown apart from me in spite, and so
I have sought among the trees for peace.

Between two worlds I often stand, unsure which way to leap,
And listen to the oak and pine, their quiet words of wisdom;
There is a humbling silence in their ancient speech.

While other fools proselytize and in their sadness, preach,
I have found solace in the branches of another school.
I have sought among the trees for peace;
There is a humbling silence in their ancient speech.

24 NOV 2002