Illusions

By Gregory Bertsch, M. Ed.

Posted: November 1, 2023

October 29, 2009 at 8:44pm

Two Trees reach across the water.
Their reflection shimmers with a gentle wind
The moving mirror distorts their trunks as fall leaves caress the surface
I imagine them not as an allusion but the truth in a moment of clarity
Ripples fan out in perfect concentric circles from the falling hands of the wooden pillars, carrying them to the shore where they will cling to the earth
Soon, winter’s cold finger will paint the brown wings with perfect crystals of frost
As I look longer on the surface of what I see
The two trees begin to shake at their foundations
I have to believe; Don’t I?
Because my eyes tell me what they see
But I stand rooted, steadfast, and the illusion wanes
Faded like the wind as if Heaven held its breadth for a moment in time
For me to see the simple truth of their splendid elegance
Standing by each other’s side, bending imperceptibly to the sky above
As if bowing to the Sun as it sets in the West
Their foundations waver not,
In the storms of time
Their arms reaching out in every direction, erected as perfect symbols to man as to the nature of things
The foolish one looks and sees a distraction to a view or materials that only separate him from the outside world
A wise One, on the other hand, sees their ancient wisdom within
Seeing One from Many
As Above So Below
Or simply, the Interconnectedness of a Perfect Universe.