Once Was I

Once was I
Entangled in the branches
Of my favorite oak tree
Feeling the leaves with soft
Vulnerable fingertips
Allowing the rough bark
To scrape the edges
Of my gentle heart

I grew with the tree
And when it dropped me
I picked myself back up
and climbed higher

Once was I
Entangled again
In the branches that consumed my life
But I kept falling down
The love I needed
Never found
For the trunk was strong
The branches long
But the heart
Lost and weak
And my favorite tree
Continued to drop me

Once was I
intertwined in the limbs
Of a baby tree
Unable to support me
But taking a step back
And letting it grow
I realized something
I should have known
The most beautiful seeds
Need time to sow

Grow big and strong
Your branches long
And I will come back to you
My darling oak tree

I love you so
That's something you should know
My name will forever be engraved in you bark
And yours
Placed upon my heart