of Dogwoods and Rainclouds

Today I saw the sky open up
after the clouds rolled in,
and God shed tears
once more upon the Dogwood tree
that stood by itself in the Springtime
of the forest
because ol' John died before
he could plant any more;
and what I am trying to say
is that God was not crying for grief
but for the joy of John's liveliness
there in the heavens
and in gratitude for the Dogwood tree
he planted there so long ago in the woodland
with such adoration for the Earth
that every tree around it
flourished there because
of its beautiful branches
reaching out into the world...

This was very quick and imperfect late night poem, inspired by these earrings I created for my Etsy shop and by my foresty husband, Ken. John Morford, was otherwise known as "The Mushroom Man" in these parts, due to his extensive knowledge of the forest floor. I wish I had known him, but he lives on through his son, of whom he'd be so very proud of the branches he's spread into the world.