In Gethsemane

I saw a solitary tree
Planted
On the barren hillside,
Rooted deeply in the earth,
Reaching and touching the sky
As if in a posture of prayer,
Aware
Of its purpose, position and place,
Its connection to self, others,
And its Creator,
Absorbing the depth
And the gift
Of aloneness,
Of loneliness,
And
Regretting it not.

By Cathy Lamperski Dearing

(Cathy Lamperski Dearing is a member of St. Barnabas Parish in Indianapolis.) †