The Tree

December 30, 1931
An early thaw fools a seedling
Into showing its head above ground
The newborn embraces and basks in
The warmth of the winter sun
Not knowing of the harshness to come
The tender shoot unfurls its leaves
Blind, helpless, but full of promise
Of the strong tree it could someday become
Rich loam in which it was planted,
Sown tenderly and with love
The farmer who planted it
Watched over it from above, sheltering it
From the hard reality and storms
Rough was that winter remaining
But with the love and a father’s joy
The farmer watched over the seedling
As tenderly as watching his own boy
That first year of life was a struggle
The seedling, nearly lost, survived
Through that first year the seedling grew
Surprising all,, it made it to
December 30, 1932,
One ring it earned, that tender trunk
The fight to survive continued
Each season which passed
The farmer watched over
His young sapling of muscle and sinew.
Through drought and years of terrible storms
The young sapling continued to grow
Each year adding a ring to its trunk
Through summer’s heat and winter’s snow
The young tree went through privation and drought
The farmer, in grief decided
No longer could he watch over the tree
Transplanting it from where it resided
The soil, now poor, could no longer sustain
The young tree in its struggle to live
The farmer covered the roots and bole of the tree
And gave to his sister its keeping
Driving away that long ago day
The farmer wept, "I gave all I could give"
The young tree in shock
From being uprooted
From the only home it had ever known
Decided it wanted to live,
But it withered and wilted, and nearly died
After all of the time it had grown
The farmer’s sister gave great care to the tree
Knowing the love it engendered
The years the farmer had cared for it
From the time his seed was sown.
The tree flourished and grew
Its branches spreading
Each season adding anew
A ring of life around its core
And its bark thickening, protected it too.
Years passed, and the tree matured
Growing straight and tall
Good years and bad, they came and went
The tree survived them all.
Over time the tree then gave shade to me
And I grew up under its branches
Sheltered and shaded, it was a part of my life
I would look up to it as a child in wonder
At all the years it had stood,
And withstood the elements
It gave me a sense of being
A place I could go to escape
From everyday worry and strife
The bark, now roughened through years of growth
Yet felt wonderful beneath my fingers
What character, I thought, "How unique this tree!"
Whose spreading branches and
Green-gold leaves gave shelter to me.
The years continued, and the tree did too
Adding a ring for each year passed.
The bark, rugged now, showed scars and gaps
How long would my tree last?

December 30, 2007
The tree yet continues to grow
Sheltering me and my own children now
Through summer’s heat and winter’s snow.
The trunk, now thick, has weathered the years
And survived when all thought it was lost
That tree, it seemed, would be there for me,
No matter the personal cost.
One day this tree will no longer be
Sharing the shade of its branches
A part of my life, the years will then be
Less, because of the strength of that tree.
Happy Birthday, Dad!