The Shelter Tree

I watch him

A young man stares up into the sky

He is waiting

Waiting for love, I think

He sits there, on that large rock

His curiously blonde hair hanging

Loosely to his cheeks

I hear his sobs

And watch the tears fall

My branches sway with the wind,

The whole forest creaks

The man leaves at sun down

Always returns at sun up

He waits all day, sometimes

Pacing, lying down, but he mostly sits on that rock,

his lean back resting against my trunk.

He eats slowly

Makes two trips to the nearby spring

And fills his jug with crisp water

Who is he waiting for?

I wonder and rustle my leaves

I hear him mutter to himself

'She's dead, she died. They killed her!

Please, no, she can not be dead!'

I grieve for him

This boy

Who seems so lost, so fragile

Missing this unknown girl

He can not live without

He comes everyday for two weeks

I grow to love him

This lost soul, with silver-y blonde hair.

The last day he comes

Is cloudy, windy, wet

Still, he sits on the rock

Clinging to his black cloak

I try to shield him with my leaves

Then, I hear it.

A voice calling

The man jumps up and calls back

A grin appearing on his face

Out of the trees comes a woman

Her brilliantly red hair flying behind her

She cries out at the sight of him

She throws herself into his open arms

The man places his hands on the sides of her face

Bringing his lips down upon hers

Kissing her thoroughly

The clouds break and rain pours from the sky

They do not part.

The girl finally pulls away, gasping for breath

And laughing in the rain

The man leads her under the shelter of my leaves.

They wait out the storm

Under my shelter

When it finally ends

The man pulls out a knife from his cloak.

Gently he carves something into my trunk

When he finishes he stands and stare up into my leaves

'Goodbye tree, thank you.'

He grabs the girls hand and

Together they disappear into the trees.

I never see the man again

All I have left is a carved in heart,

The initials

D+G

Gracefully carved in the middle.