A Tale of Two Men and a Tree
One
it might have been a day like today;
the family gathered save one
who never returned from that
great war to end all wars.
-the apple of his mother’s eye
-the hope of his father
-the progenitor to be
had fallen,
and so they came together
on the west side of their church life
to plant a tree in a hole dug by hand
for a small spare sapling
gathered from up the hill
brought down
to shade the sunny windows
in the afternoons.
they were hoping to
see just a little of him each day
and so they planted that tree of hope
with sadness and tears
determined to have William
with them again.
Two
and the tree did grow
and it provided a comfort
to a family grieving.
in time, another son was
born to another family
bringing joy to new parents
who had hope as well;
and this young boy
grew to be a man
handsome in face and spirit.
and as still a young man
he went off to fight in yet another war,
leaving his family with worry
but with pride,
and the tree kept growing
and cooling the stone wall in summer
and providing not so much joy
as strength and determination,
a will to persevere.
Three
the young man returned from war
and lived among us
with wife and children around him.
and he hoped that there would
never be another war and
he sought ways to assure that hope;
with his wit and spirit strong,
he stood in the midst of us
providing whatever was needed
and being present each day
or time he was called on
just like the tree next to the
western wall.
Four
over the decades of life,
the tree grew large
just as the young man grew
taller in his living.
but, as in all things,
life moves forward
and the tree’s space was needed;
and so it was cut down,
but not before someone observed
that the tree had been there
in honor of a man cut short
and it should live on.
so, in a pause and
a moment of reflection,
it was discovered
that over the years
with age and challenges,
the tree had grown
not stronger
but more beautiful of spirit and grain
and so it had prepared itself
for a new life
in a new form.
Five
and it was also true
that over the decades of living
the man filled a space
in everyone’s heart
and we treasured him
and he made the rest of us grow
along with him.
but there came a time
when he needed to lie down
and make way for others
and we would go on without him;
and so it was with heavy hearts
we bade John farewell.
Six
and so the clock
and calendars have turned
and we are here today
as recipients of times past
on a day like so many years ago
to welcome and honor
the tree
and two men
who walked this way before us.
we welcome this tree
again into our midst,
bestowing honor
on those men and
to the generations
through which they lived,
bringing us to this moment
of celebration,
for all whom we have known
and for those that will
gather round this table
in generations to come.
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