I am the Cottonwood

She is colossal,
a giant among giants,
surrounded by friends and lovers,
children dancing beneath
the hemlines of her skirt.

She is devoted,
fearsome in her quest,
rising majestic to meet the sky.
She guards the banks
of an untamed river.

She is wisdom,
prudence in every rooted limb,
spreading truth through sagacious seeds—
white cotton parachutes
float on love’s currents.

She is sanctuary,
a refuge from the storm,
filtering searing rays of light,
casting generous shadows,
serene silhouettes.

She is color,
palettes of pigment bursting
into blessed existence,
transmuting complexions
with changing seasons.

She is me—
alive, breathing, vital,
rooted in this sacred earth,
courting soulful nutrients,
flourishing in her age.