The island is barren except for one tree
The coral can cut through your boot like a knife
The islanders call it their holiest place
They say that their oak is the Tree of Life
the wishing tree
the wishing tree
come with me
and we will see what we wish to see
They guard it so carefully, gather the leaves,
Although it never bears flowers or fruit
They sing in a shadowy temple of green
And kneel on a carpet of crisscrossing roots
The claim that the world was entirely water
Except for the garden of Ib Allah Haam
Which rose from the waves on the back of a turtle
A place where the crocodile lay with the lamb
so many tomorrows have gone yesterday
so many prayers have yet to be prayed
so many waves have washed it away
so much is left to be said
But now just an isolate impotent tree
Looks out on the land, dug into the sand
It hold to the shore. The others have gone
But their God has allowed a promise to stand
Each evening a single canoe from the sea
Delivers a priestess who come there to plead
For the one thing her people so desperately need
She praises His mercy, but begs for a seed….
the wishing tree
the wishing tree
come with me
and we will see what we wish to see
=====================
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Reviews of "THE WISHING TREE song lyrics by Joel Sattler"
This song says a lot about our mother Earth and the desire to be fertile and reproduce. Sadly the way things are going, any tree on an island may be doomed as the sea inexorably rises. Galveston Island recently lost most of its oaks when saltwater invaded during hurricanes Ike and Rita.
Mary Angela Nangini's poems celebrate the richness of life and love. From the city to cottage-country and the roads in between, Nangini explores the changing seasons of her varied region. (This book will soon be reprinted in hard cover.)
This is a book of free verse poetry that addresses the seven main tests in life and offers some sensible solutions to passing those tests with minimal discomfort.
Ron