To Understand

If you stand beneath something,
You can consider it from its roots.
It's like a giant redwood tree,
With massive trunk through which a truck can drive,
That towers hundreds of feet into the sky,
Supporting a broad canopy of leaves and evergreen,
Giving shelter to songbirds and squirrels.
There is an understanding in its roots,
That ties it to the earth,
Holding it upright,
Not letting go of legs that dig deep, deep, deep
Through detritus and clay, seeking stone and water.
There is something that understands a tree,
And holds it so it won't fall down.
But still, I've seen a tree knocked over,
Its rootball sucked up from the ground,
A giant bolder of root and clay
As the tree lay on its side,
Overturned by wind.
Even then the dirt clings to the roots,
Never letting go.
The dirt will receive the tree.
It will melt again into the ground,
And its children will grow strong.
The tree will stand beneath her sons,
Who will grow mightily from the soil she nourishes
In her understanding.