"The Rock and the Tree" by Brian Buckley

The Rock and the Tree

A pinnacle of jutting rock
Extends above the sea
The waves around it crash and swell
And on it stands a tree.
The roots of it are fast and deep
The branches wide have grown
And barren there they overlook
The gray and weathered stone.

The ocean to the north is red
And quiet now, serene
No whisper of the soldiers lost
In glory for their queen.
She sits upon a gilded throne
Her palace on a hill
And though her lands are far and wide
She bids them wider still.

Her words are ships, her ships are men
Her men are swords and knives
Who gladly swap their bravery
For other people's lives.
They've brought her back a victory
Atop a golden tray
And all across the countryside
They celebrate today.

And so it goes - the ships are sent
Again, again, again
And glory rides along behind
The generals who win.
The earth is hers, the sea is hers,
The grass, the lakes, the sky
But one day even she will fade -
And old and weak, will die.

Her bones, with years, will pass to dust -
Will scatter on the sand
And wars will slowly rip apart
Her war-united land.
But to the south, a weathered rock
Will touch the salty air
And on its peak, above the foam
The tree will still be there.