Tree in a river

Tree in a river

You said you were a tree standing still in a river
Watching the seasons change year after year
Rooted where the water shivers
Never moving, never fear


I was a tree split down the middle
By a storm that stole the whole neighborhood
If you called me a train wreck
I’d say that was just the wind sounding

not a sharp observation


So I walked away
Walked for years without a map
Every road just rearranged
The same old scene in different wraps
Trouble follows where you go
Mercy does the same
What you carry in your bones
Is what answers when you stake your claim


I kept searching for a doorway
For a sign, a spark, a bliss
But all I ever really needed
Was the courage not to miss


To find your joy you’ve got to be steady
Still enough to feel the day
Strong enough to choose your living
Not just drift your life away


Now I see that tree in water
Doesn’t mean a life gone numb
It might be the quiet foundation
Of the best years yet to come


Standing still —
Not stuck.
Just home.