The Roots Unseen

We walk around among shady trees,
With leaves a lovely green
And flowers and fruit of many hues,
But don’t see what is unseen.

For far beneath the earthen soil
Hidden from every eye,
Are the roots that hold up every plant
As they stretch up to the sky.

For food and water they must find
In darkened places underground,
The seek the best for leaf and flower
As they wander all around.

They are gnarled and damp and steeped in dirt,
But if they chose to go,
Every plant and every tree would fall
With no support anymore.

And yet in all their rugged work
That helps the trees soar high,
And in that unselfish love they forever give,
There is a raw beauty that they hide.

Some love the dew touched flower at dawn,
Some the luscious fruit,
Some the delicate leaves, but I,
I love those gnarled and ugly roots.