Dryad Of Abeyance Poem by Sheri Green

For over a hundred years she stood
Reigning over the forest glade
Protector of the gilded wood
And all that lay within her shade

She would wile away the live long day
Dancing amongst the woodland flowers
Basking within the warm sun's rays
Or drinking of the gentle rain showers

Yet ever bound to a single tree
She strode beneath the branches fair
Longing to walk the forest free
Wondering what was past the forest there

The birds would sing of all they saw
And the beasts told many a splendid tale
That left her yearning for the awe
Of the human's world beyond that vale

And then one day at the setting sun
A human appeared on the forest edge
And he sat beneath her branches run
Resting within the marshy sedge

To her he was such a curious sight
With eyes as blue as the Summer sky
Hair as dark as the deepest night
And a voice as calm as the gentle winds sigh

He remained there for the whole of Spring
But never once did she appear to him
And though her heart began to sing
She dared not venture beyond her limbs

Then one early bright summer morn
He gathered his things and made his way
Forever beyond her oak and thorn
Back to the world from which he strayed

The sun did rise and the sun did set
And many seasons came to pass
Yet never did her heart forget
The man that lingered upon her grass