
When I was a child, I loved to climb trees.
Trees gave me a sense of physical exhilaration
as I scaled the trunk and limbs,
a far-reaching view
of my patch of the world,
and the healing grace
of respite and solitude.
Today, when I peer
into the high branches of a tree,
I remember the utter feeling of
powerlessness I experienced as a child
and the certainty each time
I shimmied up a tree
that I would one day emerge
from the dark days into a canopy of light.
Trees gave me a sense of physical exhilaration
as I scaled the trunk and limbs,
a far-reaching view
of my patch of the world,
and the healing grace
of respite and solitude.
Today, when I peer
into the high branches of a tree,
I remember the utter feeling of
powerlessness I experienced as a child
and the certainty each time
I shimmied up a tree
that I would one day emerge
from the dark days into a canopy of light.

My car looks tiny
parked next to the catalpa tree
at the library where I work
(and play) in youth services.

Five favorite picture books about trees:
A Tree is Nice by Janice Udry
Leaves by David Ezra Stein
Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina
Christmas Farm by Mary Lyn Ray
Tap the Magic Tree by Christie Matheson
A Tree is Nice by Janice Udry
Leaves by David Ezra Stein
Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina
Christmas Farm by Mary Lyn Ray
Tap the Magic Tree by Christie Matheson