Ode to a Willow

In a valley of ageless wonder
That once man called an orchard,
Where endless myths had formed,
I sat as sage of things to ponder,
As the dawning day was softly born.

Here once fairies played joyfully
And legends traveled in heroic times,
For magic marked this very place,
And tales rode the wind so free,
But now all is just a vacant space.

No mortal eyes will ever behold
Those shadows so unfathomable,
Creatures of fantasy most pure,
For these legends and myths untold
Are now the willow's thoughts in lore.

This willow is a silent reminder,
A savant of the natural world.
For all the beauty time would make,
Enchanted by this spellbinder,
Time itself would soon forsake.

And though I tell you what I know,
Of truths that the willow told me,
These tales and memories of the land,
We may tell all who come and go,
But sadly none will understand.

O fairest light on fairest tree,
Remember all when we are gone,
And never forget that we did try.
For now this night is left to only three;
The willow, you, and I...