Lost Brother

When I first read this poem, I thought this guy was crazy, or at least that he was just another tree hugging hippie from Boulder, Colorado. He makes it sound like he thinks he is a tree, and that they both have the same mother. However, after reading it a several times more, I discovered that when he referred to "our mother" he was simply meaning mother nature.
I really liked the part when he "made up a story." The description the author uses to describe the scenery makes me feel like I'm in the mountains. I also enjoyed this part because it shows our inner child. It showed me that you are never to old to imagine even the wildest things, like being related to a tree.
"I am prepared to live as long as he did (it would please our mother) live with the clouds and those I love suffering with God." When I first read this last part I was extremely confused. I thought he meant he wanted to be immortal and live for "four thousand eight hundred sixty-two years" like his "lost brother," but then I looked a little deeper into the poem, and I discovered that maybe he did not mean literally living that long but figuratively. Maybe by living life to the fullest and trying to make a difference is the same if not better than living forever. I feel like this part teaches us that surrounding yourself with your loved ones and faith and shooting for the clouds would please "our mother."