Rhinoceros Tree

(Susanne gewidmet, geschrieben 31.12.2009-26.01.2010, zu hören auf "Facing Her Silhouette")

Nine turns to ten
But please count me out
When night turns to day
I rather think about
What lies behind me
And what lies ahead
Why I didn't go out
And stayed here instead

So this is the end of the year
Some things closer than they appear
A bunch of memories come back to you
When you revisit a place you once knew

He lacks the nose, his eyes are closed
But I can still see
This grayish giant by the road
Is our rhinoceros tree
He's standing there, head in the air
His feet in the ground
A strange outsider if compared
To all the trees around
I just wonder when
It retransforms again
And ambles to the horizon

He's seen so many seasons come and go
Blossom, wither, die
It all got him so tired
He closed his eyes and said good night
To dream of sand and the hot days
Of an sunny southern land
Just like what I'm dreaming of
Except for the sand

Once upon a time, his body turned to wood
He quickly got used to the new neighbourhood
Shakes of his leaves and grows a new green vest
Year after year and never feels distressed

A broken horn, the wood is torn
But I can still see
This common beech beside the road
Is our rhinoceros tree
He's standing there, head in the air
His feet in the ground
Judging all the people
Walking by, without a sound
I just wonder when
It retransforms again
And ambles to the horizon

If they come to cut you down one day
I won't sigh or groan
Because I know that when they burn you in the oven
You can fly back home
At least you lived in peace for long
As far as I can tell
So if these lines are a good bye
Fare thee well, rhino friend, fare thee well