The tree stood hundreds of years undisturbed Deep in the Hertfordshire wood Old and gnarled its trunk was wide Waiting for something good
A young child walking discovered this spot Secret to the outside chase And stared a long while at this ancient tree And a hole near the base
The child climbed inside though cramped Into a chamber no harm Alive with secret lights in the wood Offering comfort and calm
The hole shrunk in size to the size of a fist And the child cried wild But a voice calmly spoke in the head Do not fear me child
I offer you immortal life free from care or pain You offer me something good Cleansing my old twisted roots and trunk Unadulterated, innocent food
No cried the child, this is wrong you are bad I am not at all for your food You must free me or the woodsman's axe Will cut you down real good
Those words stung the tree, it had misjudged the child How could it get it so wrong These humans are strange suffering all of their pain And their lives not at all so long
The hole grew in size and the tree spat the child The child turned a face And stared a long while at this ancient tree And a hole near the base
The tree stood hundreds of years more undisturbed Deep in the Hertfordshire wood Old and gnarled its trunk was wide Waiting for something good.
