Its bark a map, ringed with years

A silent host to nested wings.

It watched the seasons overlap

And whispered tales the old wind sings.

 

It saw the hunter with his spear

Felt rumbling of the beasts' hooves.

Then fields were cleared and homes began to rise

All reflected in its ancient, knowing eyes.

 

The lovers carved their vows within its skin

The weary sought shade beneath it

It sheltered birds that sang their morning songs.

Through storms, it groaned

But deep within, a resilience was born.

 

And now it stands, a guardian

Its secret life held firmly in the land.

It whispers stories by rustling its leaves

A history the hurried world perceives, too late.