The Tree of Life in Autumn (Stacy Wills, 2013)
alcohol inks on yupo + sacred altering
I Go Among Trees
I go among trees and sit still.
All my stirring becomes quiet
around me like circles on water.
My tasks lie in their places
where I left them, asleep like cattle.
Then what is afraid of me comes
and lives a while in my sight.
What it fears in me leaves me,
and the fear of me leaves it.
It sings, and I hear its song.
Then what I am afraid of comes.
I live for a while in its sight.
What I fear in it leaves it,
and the fear of it leaves me.
It sings, and I hear its song.
After days of labor,
mute in my consternations,
I hear my song at last,
and I sing it. As we sing,
the day turns, the trees move.
-Wendell Berry (b. 1934)
Prints of "The Tree of Life in Autumn" are available here:
The Tree of Life in Autumn
I go among trees and sit still.
All my stirring becomes quiet
around me like circles on water.
My tasks lie in their places
where I left them, asleep like cattle.
Then what is afraid of me comes
and lives a while in my sight.
What it fears in me leaves me,
and the fear of me leaves it.
It sings, and I hear its song.
Then what I am afraid of comes.
I live for a while in its sight.
What I fear in it leaves it,
and the fear of it leaves me.
It sings, and I hear its song.
After days of labor,
mute in my consternations,
I hear my song at last,
and I sing it. As we sing,
the day turns, the trees move.
-Wendell Berry (b. 1934)
While searching out this poem, I came across this video of it set to music by Giselle Wyers and performed by the University of Washington Chamber Singers. Do you need a Beauty Break in the midst of a busy day? Treat yourself to five and a half minutes of peace...
Prints of "The Tree of Life in Autumn" are available here:
The Tree of Life in Autumn
