The Blood Tree

The gnarled roots wind upwards towards the bark

The leaves of this tree glisten bright in the dark

Against the midnight sky, the light is quite stark

As it stains the landscape, each leaf leaving its mark

On this night, the blood tree exchanges its light

The moon mirrors its light, each other exchanging remarks

As the tree shines on throughout the night

And releases many shining sparks

Outward, the light from the tree, the branches reach

Almost desperately, they grasp at the light

The space around them being constantly under breach

As the tree reaches out to grasp at all space in sight

For light within the tree helps it to breed life

But light is not only for which it bides

This tree breeds life out of strife

Beneath the branches, a secret it hides

The roots of this tree descend deep

Deep into the soil is where they reside

With a far-reaching length and sweep

They seek blood, the light being a guide

For, where the light hides from sight

Creatures of the light seek their slumber

These lonesome creatures of the night

Are less deadly, even with many a number

The tree hunts in the night, hunting

The light of the day, to its senses, is blunting

Its great roots seek out its food, confronting

Its next victims, grasped by the roots the tree is punting

For, to produce the fruit of the tree

The tree must itself take a life

The blood it drains from a life that was once free

Through thorns that are sharper than any knife

It pierces the heart of a being that once slumbered

Its soul now shattered and drained 

The days of this being are now numbered

The tree consumes all that remains

From this life a fruit forms

From a fresh branch, new fruit and thorns are adorned 

The world around the tree transforms

To avoid the darkness of the blood tree, consider yourself warned