The sacredness of trees

(Christchurch Park, Ipswich)

He was the King of Trees

Keeper of the glades …

(Cat Stevens, ‘King of Trees’, 1974)

In the middle of an oak grove,
with trees of a few years old and trees of centuries,
feel the sacredness, the everlasting power
of the life around you,
and know the transitory nature of your own.

The ancient druids, so it’s said,
performed their secret rites in oak groves.
We don’t know what they did
– which may be just as well –
but they found sacredness
among those ancient trees,
and so do we.

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