Rood Again

old tree,
the way you sway
with the wind,
you test your roots
and make known your age,
but we do not hear
the grinds or groans
of decay –
no,
these sounds you sigh
are those of aching beauty,
of cruciform desire,
a path laid out
beyond
the time when
leaves no longer dawn you
and in anticipation
of how your saplings grow.