As a tree I have 

One main stem

Many limbs, branches 

And leaves

Where birds build

Their nests

And numerous creatures

Seek shelter 

- – -

I’m a woody perennial plant

And family man

Putting down my roots

Near a flowing stream of water

Where my descendants dwell

And are connected to me

- – -

I grow high above the ground

As the limbs of family members

Reach for the skies

Fluttering their leaves

In a brisk wind 

On a pleasant day

- – -

According to a dendrologist

That checked my trunk

I’m way up there in age

And have endured

Countless storms 

With many rings

To show my determination

- – -

Now, I prefer to see myself

As a tree of life

Related to the branches

Of religion, philosophy,

history, and mythology

Among other disciplines

- – -

Ages ago I was viewed

As the tree of knowledge

One that held the key

to good and evil

That marked the fall

Of Adam and Eve

Now I’m more a tree of love

One of life

Or like a Celtic tree

Of symbols