Reincarnation

I think, said a friend once,

that you were a tree in a former life.

That would explain my deep love of the out-of-doors,

my longing for roots and an inordinate love of homeplace,

my penchant for being a watcher, a witness,

rather than a willing participant in human endeavors.

What sort of tree he didn’t specify.

A pine perhaps? I’ve always admired pine trees

with their towering, pitch-knobbed branches,

their prolific and diverse cones,

their forest-green needles that turn a faded orangey-brown at death,

a different shade of beauty.

I doubt he meant an oak — too mighty and steadfast and regal in bearing,

too impenetrable and strong, treasured for its sterling qualities.

He could have meant a redwood, but my human self is drawn to them in such astonishment

that I can’t imagine being invited to join their ranks.

Perhaps he was thinking of the birch, a water lover, compatible with my Zodiac sign, recognizable for its elegant bark, its pliancy, its delicate greenery,

though I’ve always felt, were I ever to be a tree, I’d be a willow, the weeping kind

that likes its toes buried in the damp earth and its head in the clouds,

a mothering being that bends and sways and waltzes in the wind, whose immense green arms

offer secret hiding places for birds and other small creatures, and children with books.

If I believed in reincarnation, I would believe I’ve been a weeping willow tree,

a habitat, a host, provider of shade and safety, my toes holding the erodible earth,

my leaves breathing, my body a nurturing source of shelter and warmth. This time around,

I think I am simply a mother incarnate.