I Am.... (The Branch)

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!