Ode to a Giant

by Dee Mueller

At the entrance to a magical wood

A behemoth, once, majestically stood

Tattered and torn, she holds her ground

In a thousand bones, just lying around

She comes from a time when giants roamed free

She stays to remind us of what still can be

Her kingdom, once vast, was a thing of dreams

But now, look about, it can hardly be seen

An emerald flag, her army flew bold 

Has fallen, revealing a skeletal ghost

Upon her head, a royal crown

Was an eagle’s nest – still wrapped around 

Truth be told, she has little to boast

Yet remains, head held high, standing post

As a child she frolicked and played hand and hand

With the clouds, ever keeping her feet in the sand

For thousands of years, she’s held the gate

How many years still, must this giant wait

Until her heir stakes a claim to the throne

And restores the sway to its emerald tone

So perhaps, once again, the world can see

The glory that stems from a single tree

 ________________________________________________________________

I spent time in the forest as part of my “Soul Walk” and as I lay there looking up at the empty winter canopy, I began pondering my interest in the woods and nature, trying to connect to earlier times when I began feeling a real connection. I was really just resting in the comfort of the forest and trying to let my mind wander when I recalled my time with the giants in California. The first time I visited the giant redwoods in 2007, I was in awe. As I climbed higher and higher into the mountains, I began to feel smaller and smaller, as if I were entering the actual pages of a storybook. I was unable, however, to develop any cohesive properly written reflection, so I began writing this poem. I could never put into words the feelings of awe and wonder I experienced upon being with the redwoods until after my soul walk. I paired the poem with a picture I took in October while at the Cocklin Fish Farm in Cass County, Iowa. 

Ode to a Giant is written by Dee Mueller, FTS Certified Forest Therapy Guide, Oct 2021 cohort

Poem photo: Dee Mueller