Oak Sonnet

The tall oak on the back side of the pond,

where the overflow spills down the hill
after many a spring rain, she says it's not
only possible but lovely – and thus right –
to do both: to root deeply and to become
intimately acquainted with the running of
waters and the many tempers of the winds.
Mild or malevolent, she says, the winds
and the rains will teach you to dance, to let
your limbs and your hair wheel and wave,
lilt and lift, even as your ties to the earth
grow stronger, and your ministrations of
the miracle of turning light into food bless
a wider and deeper circle of lively friends.