Blue-footed boobies, Galapagos

Bird or Tree?
Michael Gollin
February 2013
(Apologies to Joyce Kilmer)

Are you a bird that flies around
And roosts where e’er you land?
Are you a tree whose roots go down
And hold you where you stand?

A bird is free to choose a nest
With shelter, flock, and feed.
A tree must grow where fate has blessed
a germinated seed.

Yes, freedom’s good, to see the world
And find what can be found,
But growing strong and holding firm
Means home stays in that ground.

A storm can blow the bird away —
A tree might break, or sway.

A bird can plant a tree by chance —
A tree can house the bird on branch.

A bird can mate.
A tree can wait…

How can we choose?
Must either lose?

I think that I shall never see
Which is more lovely, bird or tree!

Magnificent Frigatebirds, Galapagos

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