by Eva Matsuzaki
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Flowers, turtles, butterflies,
And a million things more from nature
Bring me joy, tickle my imagination.
But - trees touch my soul.
A pine forest in Latvia -
Thousands of tree trunks
With a floor of only needles.
This is my lineage.
Not people, but pine trees.
In times of grief or uncertainty
Old cedars and Douglas firs remind me
That a hundred years are not that many.
We say the owl is wise. Why?
Mostly, she sits there
And listens to the trees.
She is my teacher.
Cherry blossoms in the spring,
Maple leaves in the fall
Share their beauty to the world.
But somehow, it’s the evergreens -
Pines, cedars, firs -
That remind me to listen.
Eva Matsuzaki is a past cancer patient, a past Callanish participant, a past retreat dishwasher, (so many pasts), a current board member, an occasional blog writer, a gratitude card writer, (and so many futures!).