( Monsters – a track from his current album and a farewell letter to his Dad who is dying of kidney disease)

Driving to work, snuffling and wishing things could be different just for today, just for this one morning. But I joined the habitual queue, irritated and clock watching I shifted in my seat…late again.

I had pretty much tuned out to the radio, tuned out to any outside energy as I festered and basted my bad mood casserole.

The first bars of the music seemed like someone had walked right up to my car window and knocked very loudly on it.

It shook me into actually looking outside.

I had driven this very route, every day for six months.

On a daily basis I had endured this queue since ‘they’ had changed the road lay-out. But never before had I seen the magnificent old oak tree that was clad in its autumnal glad-rags.

More importantly it was towering over me, spreading open its branches in a gesture of welcome support.

More of the music and now the words were infiltrating my mind, prising open the closed circuits and sealed trapdoors to my heart.

Nothing seemed to move.

The queue, the drivers, birds, my own breath.

Everything was in suspension, making me listen and acknowledge these painful words that were cruelly unpicking the heavy duty packaging that held me together.

Listening whilst gazing at the sturdy old tree, warm and accepting, had me catching my breath, futile swallowing trying to push back the emotion.

My Dad was there, with me one more time.

I had said my goodbyes, but he was there…in the song, in the vision of beauty that oak tree represented, in my heart.

Tears flowed but it did make me re-assess my day, my life.

Its all so fragile and soon we won’t be able to feel the loving arms of another, only remember and maybe hope others see us in the trees when we’ve gone.