Poem: Getting a Tree

Getting a Tree

Today we shall go to get our tree 

For our Christmas celebrations,

A tradition we’ve had for years

Of going to the woods

And cutting the perfect tree

For our home. It symbolizes

commitment to gathering

To celebrate the Christ crucified

On such a tree and the salvation

He brought to all who believe. 

Now some changes have taken

Place within our tradition

That accommodates hope 

So we go to a tree farm

And there I go singly to choose

The perfect tree while family

Looks on from a distance

Unable, like me, to trudge

Through the snow.

Of course, you can celebrate 

Without a tree or with one

Artificial, but then there 

Would be no sacrifice of 

Time in the trees together

With family and friends

Choosing something that works

For them. And the closer we can get

To the reality of a distant story,

The closer we can get to realizing

Forgiveness is not just a symbol

And peace isn’t just happenstance

But chosen and worked for purposefully

Just like the effort to get this tree.

December 2023

About This Poem

This one needs some work, but it seems appropriate for the time so I'm posting it. I was inspired by just what the poem says, getting a tree. I sometimes miss just going out in the woods and cutting a tree but it's not about me. And that, too, is what this poem is about. The photo is of my pickup after having cut a tree at a tree farm. Enjoy the holidays.