A Spot of Poetry

Life is Like a Tree Leaf

Life is Like a Tree Leaf                                

Flutters into existence

          Small, wrinkled, pale

Grows young and strong in

          Breeze, and sun and rain

Gets chewed on

          Hailed and blown

To the ground while far too young

          Never seeing the sun

Some fall and die

          Blown to the earth

Some grow wrinkled

          Wilt and change colors

Others stay till fall

          Slowly growing old

Changing color

          Daring the winter winds to come

Do we morn the fallen leaves?

No – just rake them up

          Burn them, compost them

                   Dump them…

Do we do less with human life?

Do we shun the tree whose leaves are not

          So good to look at…

Cut the tree down

          It might be dangerous

Chop it to lumber

          Too early in life

Deny it space

          To grow and spread its limbs

Prune the limbs severely

          Or not at all

Encourage growth

          With food, water

Plant many too tight  

          Then wonder why death comes

Select a few branches

          Remove them, giving space

                   Or let it run wild

Complain about the fruit

          Yet never feed the tree.

The sapling which is allowed to bend

          Will not break so fast as it grows older

Sometimes winter is harsh and nips new buds

          The new year leaves will not be as many.

Fire comes..God or human caused

Kills trees in its inferno

Clears out the dead wood

The underbrush

Releases the minerals back to the earth

Gives the final push to new seeds

To prepare to start new life on the forest floor.

Random tree thoughts

Why???

Some trees are rough… their bark quite scratchy

Some are smooth..soft to the touch

Others shed their bark

And leave behind a sticky goo.

WHO????

Who lives in the leaves

          Stuck so well to the tree

Lives  in the curled brown old leaves

Glued to the tree so snug and tight

Who could live thru wind and winter

Snug in a leaf wrapper

Waiting to see the spring???

Nancy F Munier  Fall 2000  Wheatland Wyoming