![](https://i0.wp.com/denamckitrick.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/kings5-6-2016wwords-2.png?resize=448%2C1024&ssl=1)
Ancient massive trunks
towering up to the sky
In your own dreamtime
of centuries passing
While temporal flashes
of color and movement
from noisy two-leggeds
and skittering chipmunks
circulate around your roots
And ravens wing through the air overhead
I smell the subtle incense of your bark
as it glows reddish gold
in the afternoon sunlight
And gaze up at all the unspoken mysteries
I will never know
May your roots be
ever wild and free, grandfathers,
as you reach for the stars of the cosmos…
–Marshal McKitrick
Image – Dena McKitrick