The Silent Witness
by John Lowe
Rooted to Mother Earth
Connecting ground to sky
In a cycle of rebirth
Where all must live and die
Stands the Silent Witness
Growing straight and tall
Against wind and rain
Surviving man’s fickle law
And the loggers chain
Stands the Silent Witness
Season after season
Towering high above
Reaching for the sun
Home to the nesting dove
Stands the Silent Witness
A millennium old
With a thousand rings
Stretching proud and bold
Its many branches sing
Stands the Silent Witness
Like a steeple’s spire
Over earthen pews
Its majesty inspires
The poet’s muse
Stands the Silent Witness
Fulfilling its mission
Of nature’s midwife
From God’s perfect vision
Home to all wildlife
Stands the Silent Witness
Observer of history
Of man’s flawed course
There is the mystery
Without remorse
For the Silent Witness
Who among us will speak
In the tree’s defense
Who among us will seek
Justice to dispense
For the Silent Witness
It is time to awake
To stand and be heard
Before it is too late
To utter the fateful words
To save the Silent Witness
Whatever befalls the trees
Will befall us all
So interconnected are we
To the natural law
Of the Silent Witness
This poem was written in honor of a friend of mine, Lou Gold, who spent many Summers on Bald Mountain in Oregon to help save the old growth
forests.
