On Living Authentically

Nature has a dimension that extends beyond what we see with our eyes.
If we take the time out of our endlessly busy lives to quietly be in her midst, she sometimes reveals her secrets… deep truths about ourselves, humanity and the universe…

Too great an expanse, the daytime sky,
Too majestic, the heavens at night,
For ancient trees to support the veil above forever.

One by one they grow,
Each tiny seedling stretching for the sun.
Lifetimes pass before the giant,
Beautiful, tall and strong,
Reaches the sky and takes its turn to hold it in place,

Immortal their stand appears to be,
But age and decay overtake them all,
In violent storms, or stillness,
One by one they fall.

But others take their load,
And none stood there in vain.
They held the skies,
While the Earth flourished below,
And their young grew around their feet.

Who are we, but trees?
Always reaching for the stars.
The full expanse of love and life,
Ever just beyond our grasp.

We hold humanity’s standard high,
Through Ages dark and bright.
Weaving a tapestry from life’s myriad strands,
As we struggle towards the Light.

But like trees we’re not immortal,
Age and decay overtake us all.
In life’s violent storms, or stillness,
One by one we fall.

But others then take up our load,
Our lives are not in vain.
We hold the skies,
While the World toils and plays below,
And our young grow around our feet.

Ian James
22/03/2017