The stump I used to daydream on

Has rotted and been washed away;

Its neighbor nourishes offspring

And sprouts forth green from its decay.

I too, was once a mere seedling;

Dying, longing for fertile earth.

From dark and light I was reborn

And flowered with words into worth.

So when, as it must, this tree dies,

To feed new growth I shall it give.

Rotten tree stumps are not reborn,

But the selfless ones learn to live.

Sandra Ulbrich started her writing career in high school, when she made up her own lyrics to songs. She soon graduated to writing sonnets, villanelles, and free verse. After obtaining her bachelor's degree in molecular biology/English and a Master of Technical and Scientific Communication degree, she worked as a teaching assistant, a science writing intern at the National Cancer Institute, a technical writer, and a proofreader. She is currently a lab technician at an enyzme-producing company. In addition to writing poetry, Sandra has also written a fantasy novel called Day of All Seasons, which has been submitted for publication. She is currently writing a sequel, called Fifth Season. When not writing, Sandra enjoys listening to classic rock (especially the Beatles), reading, gaming, attending cons, and chatting with her friends.