Acorn

Gentle thuds beneath my feet 
       draw my eyes upward to the
Majestic oak, branches bedecked
       with a fine mast
Stooping to notice, I take an acorn
       between my fingers –
This smooth, elongated cylinder so ordinary –
       but its weight in my palm
              whispers of beyond
Hidden within its shell lies a tree to be
If only it finds good soil in which
       to lie and let its heart be
       drawn forth from hiding by the
              slow care of sun and water
              kissing earth

Little Acorn, will you yield or resist
       this seeming death, trading the safety
       of your shell for the transient pain that is the
       only path to Life?
Fear not – nor forget the beauty of those
       leafy arms from which you fell
Choose to die now and you, too, in time
       will reach heavenward, roots anchored
       deep enough to resist any storm

Parc du Thabor - Rennes, France
September 27, 2019

"Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit." - Jesus in John 12:24 

"The creation of a thousand forests is in one acorn." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

(After I first posted this poem, a friend sent me this amazing photo he took of an acorn who made the choice I talked about in my poem. I wonder what forest it will be used to create!)