The Tree by Margaret V. Doran

The Tree

Margaret V.Doran

In the forest there is a disk of earth
that stands six feet high or more
and at its base, a shallow depression
like a hasty grave
that marks the spot where the tree once stood

The tree now lies horizontal and the disk
is all that remains of roots that died
When it fell, the tree broke in two places
as it struck the earth
and forms an uneven fence that separates
this side from that

Because of the slope of the land
the tree creates a large, sheltered amphitheater
with a high wall on one side
and, over its long death, it is being absorbed
by the forest floor . . . slowly, ever slowly
perhaps in another hundred years it will be gone

But the startling thing is the disk
that exists in the absence of the roots

It teams with life!

Moss has claimed the surface pebbles and soil
And there, ferns grow in abundance,
small but thriving sword ferns and deer ferns and maiden-hair
tucked between them, a riot of little plants I do not know

The concavity at the base offers up its own surprise:
a large ovoid rock ten inches long rests there
as if an ancient egg abides, cradled in a nest
awaiting its hatching

Updated March 8, 2005
Return to Title Page