Like the branches on a tree
We reach out and we grow
Spreading in the warmth
Putting roots down as we go

The tree of life is everything
It gives and also takes
Just like the changing seasons
It sleeps and then it wakes

For the family tree is central
Just like the gnarled oak trees
The roots and leaves remain
To share our memories

For leaves will bud and fall
And that is nature’s way
Just as people live and die
But they never go away

For they are all around us
Like the ever changing tree
From winter through to summer
Forever – eternally

Carolyn McAllan Poetry
July 7, 2017