I'm sorry for hogging
the top of the tree
but that's where I sit
if you look all around
there are other tall trees
but this one's not it
I am taller than tall
I can see all of all
from the length of my eye
and the width of my wing
I can understand earthlings
and sky-lings
and things
it should not be so hard
from this vantage I hold
if we cherished our vision
of blue green and gold
of the peace of the meadow
the rippling sea
the calm of the mountains
the strength of each tree
I can't give up my perch
but a neighbor you'd be
if you sat at the top
of the tree next to me
you would know what I know
at the crest of the world
if you nurtured your earth place
as would any bird
you would hold it to heart
you would understand all
if you'd just find a tree
that is taller than tall

Sara Mathews   July 2022
Photograph ~ Ingrid Mathews