Trees

 

They grace the landscape

giving character to where there is none

No two are alike or conform to a pattern

their idividuality enriches their identity

A variety with no comparison or equal

nature´s adornment and majesty

They give forth fruit for man and beast

A breeze bends their stature

a wind yeilds yet seldom breaks them

Some stand erect in columns of splendour

as guards of honour

in the avenues of the world

Others reach out their branches in freedom

as fans or to give shade

from a scorching sun

Seasons often determine their appearance

as autumn leaves fall as rustic petals

cascading as confetti to a carpet of earth below

swirling in a wintry bluster

to replenish earth´s fossil store

Palms waft in the breezes of a tropical shore

pines stand resilient on mountain slopes

The oak as a symbol of strength

Branches as stepping stones for birds

in search of berries or a nest for home

They span the spectrum of all that is green

reaching out toward a life giving sun

soaking up and drawing from showers 

of life giving rain

Children clamber about in their branches

some build their homes in their

enfolding boughs

They provide shelter, homes, warmth and furniture

waiting upon the needs of humanity

Artists are seduced by their shapes

poets enrapt by their significance

Trees are the crowning glory of the

natural world, a gift freely given

which replenishes itself despite

the onslaught of man and nature