this day blossomed
like so many others before and afterwards -
thin, cold, and white
under a sky
so tender
so mild
even the birds whispered
in reverent deference
as they crossed it
spellbound
how many birds
held their songs
in their throats
felt the beating
of their hearts in their breasts
as that sky
spread itself
across the earth
perhaps you can imagine
(possibly even feel
in the beating of your own heart)
how when one small bird sang
in a silent and sacred space such as this
the spell was not so much broken
as it was refined
to an almost crystalline essence
*
the bird sang a story
of a tree
that grew long ago
a tree
so tall
so ancient
so magnificent
that in all their experiencing
the birds had never
known such a tree
anywhere
or anytime else
moreover
this was a tree
of such wisdom
and such grace
that one bird in particular
could not bear
to be separated from her
he loved her
*
and so it is
that this story-telling bird
flying alone
across the december sky
caught my attention
as he sang
the story of a bird
who had flown these very skies
so very long ago
a bird
who could not bear to be separated
from the tree to whom he had given his heart
and for those others who slowed
perhaps even stopped
to hear his songstory
this is what they learned
*
it seems that there had indeed once been a magnificent and ancient pine tree
a tree whose arms sheltered all manner of birds and animals
including one small bird who had been born in the tree
and had known the tree as a place of refuge for much of its life
after having lived for countless years
(for as you likely know tree years bear no relation to human years)
this tree had been taken down by a single man
whose axe had been brought forth from its place in a small shed
where it hung from a small leather strap.
its blade had flashed momentarily as the man had brought it into the light of that late summer's day.
it had slashed upwards
and then downwards
until a soft white v with a pale green heart
was exposed.
the man had been instructed to bring down the tree at the request of his wife
who among other extraordinary qualities,
possessed degrees of intuition that he found difficult to ignore or compromise.
it was his work to render the tree's body into useable portions in preparation for a winter that was
(as her intuitions had suggested)
so deep that few have forgotten its harsh and unremitting culling of man and animal alike.
as the notch in the tree's body became more pronounced
the man stopped for a moment
for between the splintering strokes of his axe
he could hear a bird
singing
and as he looked up to see the bird
a single pinecone fell to the ground
from the very tree whose life he was ending
the cone fell into the centre of a small patch of wildflowers
some of whom bent very slightly
the better to see the newcomer
the cone lay very still of course
the bird stopped its singing
the man stood with his axe at his side
all the forest was waiting
he heard the rustling of late summer leaves
felt a small breeze cross his face
watched
as the wildflowers slowly returned to their upright position
then he wiped his brow
hoisted his axe
and swung it three more times
into the body of the tree
as the axe bit into the wood for the third time
the tree shuddered
almost imperceptably
but the man
who was sensitive to such things
moved backwards
and watched as the tree
with a soft groan
fell to the ground
in the instant
that the tree
was released
from its earthly constraints
the bird flew skywards
hovering
a tiny brown speck
against a watery blue sky
the man rendered the tree into smaller pieces
and dragged them one-by-one to his home
where his wife stood watching from the cabin door
when the last of the wood
had been taken away
the bird descended from its place in the sky
and landed
amongst the tiny patch of wildflowers
where the pinecone had fallen
it had settled in underneath some leaves
and was slowly but surely being
drawn into the earth
the bird
moved until it was sitting over the pinecone
so as to protect its tiny body
from squirrels and larger animals,
the first frosts
and eventually
the snow and the ice
in so doing
the bird gave away its connection to this place
and eventually
as is the way with all living things
its body also
returned to the earth
over time
as the pinecone
entered the earth
it opened its body
releasing a trembling finger of pale green
that drew sun and water and air
into itself
and as the little green finger thickened
and grew into a tall and loving tree
it wrapped itself around the bird
enveloping it
such that the tree and the bird
were as one
for the heart of the tree
and the heart of the bird
were one
*
this is a song
that the birds sing
to remind us
of the great and unconditional care
that exists in the world and between all things
*
since that time
the tree that grew from the pinecone
so carefully nurtured and loved by the little bird
has had many descendants
look carefully
for some carry inside their hearts
the image
of the bird
happy christmas from steven
and everyone at the golden fish world headquarters!
