Solid and staunch
each with a unique bark pattern
Like a finger print
Firm snakish roots winding their way
to the center of the earth
Not to be supplanted
Monument trunks
More solid than anything else in her life
She trusts them
The grass blankets the world around them
Carpeting upon which to rest
As she confesses to them her fears
and sorrows
Her branch like arms wrap around them
With the neediness only an
abused child can feel
Her little body leans in
Breath escaping as finally
and surely
she is safe
even if only for a moment
In the distance she can hear the sweet and gentle waves kissing the shore
To her it is the only lullaby she knows
To her it is the familiar
The gulls whine their call to gather their troops for dinner
all of these treasures are her family
and in their embrace
she sleeps
