Roots

I been thinking ‘bout roots How they tie you down Tethered to a place of pain Or safe and sound With your feet firmly in the ground. The roots beneath our feet That keep the tree Steadfast and true That hold the Earth together A place to walk for me, for you And with the rain They lie exposed Exposed beneath Like fronds of pain Yet still they hold Till age and time Loosens the grip Dignified still The stately tree May yield and fall Ripping The rooting branches Free Exposing the depths of Earth Not seen before A gaping maw Of new promise.