Our Castles

A man’s house is his castle,
And we build the ramparts tall.
Only by royal decree
May you enter in these walls.

We scurry home from work,
And lock ourselves in our towers.
We plug ourselves in
To burn the evening hours.

Once upon a time there were:
Porches with rocking chairs and swings,
Front doors kept unbarred,
“Come in” called to the doorbell’s ring.

Now:
How many neighbors do you know?
How many locks on your door?
How many people just stop by?
Interkingdom relations seem to be very poor.

My castle keeps me distant
From all kings, near and remote.
A man’s house is his castle.
How wide is your moat?

Thoughts from a Tree

I got in an argument with my wife that night. I don’t remember what it was about. Afterwards I talked to a tree. I clearly remember what the tree said.

I went outside to get some fresh air. I leaned against a nice large tree. I asked the tree to tell me something.

“You?” the tree asked. “You were born. You will grow. You will change. You will die.”

That’s real useful there, tree. What matters then?

“How you grow yourself.” the tree said, “How you change within. How you dig your roots. How you place your branches.”

OK, tree, tell me something useful. What about tonight?

“Tonight doesn’t matter,” said the tree. “This year does not matter.”

Oh, so nothing matters?

“This decade matters,” the tree corrected me. “Your lifetime matters”

The tree went on, “You only change yourself. Just grow into a pretty tree. Our effect will only be in what it is we live.”

“All of us are artists,” the tree continued, “We each make one tree. All I want to see is what tree your lifetime will be.”