The people of the trees

We build our homes of wooden bones
from trees that grew among the stones
cups and ladles, chairs and tables
windows, doorways, rooftop gables

We are the people of the trees
we eat their fruits and nuts and leaves
we drip their blood upon our grains
to taste the sweetness of the rains
and pen our songs, our thoughts, our dreams
upon their flesh in bundled reams

We are the people of the trees
they cleanse our air and cure disease
Give them honor if you please
so that we
can breathe
with ease.


~John Wells, 2006