Two Poems – Symphony of Trees & Before They Go
The Symphony of Trees
Wish that I were privy to see
Underneath my feet, the symphony of trees
I pause, listen, even hold my breath
Feeling pulse, rhythm, life stronger even with death
A grove, a gathering group like family talk through their roots,
A community of speaking leaves, a chattering choir in cahoots
Causing me to look up, to seek their chlorophyllic fire
As sunlight filters through
Leaving flickering spires
Before They Must Go
Bark grumbled, hands creaked, arms groaned
Limbs severed that I bemoaned
The storm left wounds needing to be trimmed
This cutting was not a cosmetic whim
It pained me to see my friend cut, exposed
My paper white birch so rudely posed
My sugar maple bleeding tears from a deep well
I heard roots talking, they had stories to tell
There is knowledge contained in each branch
Which must be shared to properly enhance
To embody all of history throughout the ages
They know much more than words written on pages
They sing of souls, of worlds and battles won and lost
They sing of all human decisions and their costs
And the chain saw rips through my heart
I cry at my trees aging, and coming apart
I hope there’s still time to hear all that my trees know
And they will teach their offspring before they must go
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