The Braided Tree

Today I saw a tree
It had a hundred trunks
They flowed down from the top branches
Laced themselves together
And reached right into the soil

The tree was narrow like a pencil
Tall like a forest conifer
Leafy wispy and woven
Unlike the others
Whose trunks grew from the ground up

I could tell right away
It had grown itself top down

Walking close I saw the way
the trunk had braided itself
there were footholds and handholds

Grasping tight I pulled myself upwards
Scrambling straight up
brushing cheek with bird wing
Until I was next to the sky
Enfolded in blue
The earth below now belonged to others
And I belonged to the sky