Companionship

Once a bird met a tree,

On its winter journey,

Across land and sea.

“May I rest my legs on your branch?”

Inquired the bird, tired as can be.

“Of course”, proclaimed the tree,

Joyous as can be.

“Please stay awhile,

And rest as long as you please”.

The bird told the tree of her journey:

“We were three;

One was shot while we enjoyed the morning breeze,

The other could not maneuver the angry sea,

And so now, it is just me”.

The tree listened intently,

Hoping equally, that she would not leave.

The tree spoke of its own troubled days-

“I had a dear friend once,

A caterpillar, that would pay tribute to my leaves.

He too, is no longer to be,

Having taken a ghastly fall once,

One summers eve”.

“Will you be staying awhile?”

Asked the tree, ever so timidly.

“For as long as the universe allows,

I will hang here with you fair tree;

For all I have left now is you,

And for you, only me.

So tomorrow, what is to be,

Is to be.

But for this moment, we have each other,

And that is all that we need”.