I Am.... (The Branch) Poem by Eric Cockrell

i am...
the branch that bears no leaves,
my grandfathers were trees of old.
i am the axe and the chopping block,
the shell of the ancient turtle.
i am the brook, and the setting sun,
i am the mockingbird's lover.
i am the moccasin sure as the path,
the chatter of squirrels, the empty nest.
i am the plant hungrily gulping rain,
i am the place the cloud came from.
i am the holy reverence of night,
i am the tomb left empty.

i am...
the clock, the breast, the curve of the thigh,
the heat that comes from within.
i am the hate undressed by loving hands,
the eyes compassion restored.
i am the dead and dying,
the helpless, and the lost,
the spirit shunned by religion.
i am the ear that hears,
the heart that beats...
and shelter from the storm...
i am the bridge that leads away
from the curse of condemnation!