The Lemon Tree

My inspiration today comes from my son who writes this to his dad for Father's Day:

The Lemon Tree

Great inspiration has come from a tree,

From Odin to Eden, we climb to see.

I see great redwoods and their worshiping ferns,

Holding root-hands through each the world’s turns.

From olive trees comes anointing oil,

And fruitful blessings up from the soil.

From India to Sri Lanka and back,

Bodhi’s kin still teach “no greed for the lack.”

Don’t ask me which tree is best of all,

I might say they all make messes in fall.

But do ask which one inspires me the most,

And I’ll answer on its behalf, a boast.

Never has a lemon tasted sweeter,

No sour spirit to make me deter.

I tell you this is entirely true,

Because we watched each other as we grew.

As mom fed us, dad fed that little tree,

Our family: tree, mom, dad, brother, me.

Your roots grown tight in your half-a-barrel,

Happy thing, a yellow Christmas Carol.

Sorry, dad, I once killed your woody friend,

But by your love, he came back in the end.

All those spiders sure loved him just like you,

Their webs like grey hair showing wisdom’s hue.

And the bees in spring, they paid special care,

Sharing all the latest buzz from their lair.

“Dumb” you say that I say “a plant can feel,”

“Yuck” I say to the fruit that you must peel.

OMans 5-9-2014