Mulberry Tree

Bury me ‘neath
Ye ole Mulberry Tree
Stately branches
Stretching to Infinity
Wisdom’s notches
Deeply etched
Throughout a gnarled and cobbled trunk
Steadfastly she stands her watch
A silent Sentinel
With her broad canopy fanning out
Spreading like angelic wings
Over the wounded and dying
She stood over them many years ago
She heard many shots
She saw many blows
But never once
Did she leave their side
Her leaves draping their bodies
As they died
Her limbs cried out
But no one heard
Not deer, not fox, not even bird
She watched the seasons
Come and go
In Summer, green
In Winter, snow
In Autumn she was all aglow
But in the Spring was her big show
She bore her fruit
Deep, dark, succulent, sweet and
Dripping down
Loosened from brittle fingers
On to the ground
She’s safe harbor for all
Who cometh near
A true friend you can
Count on
From year to year