The Strength of Trees - A Poem (From "Four Folded Corners")

I have seen mighty locusts
fall, their outstretched hands
strive to clutch
the sky as they lean

I have watched majestic mulberries
with their full, graceful tresses
crush fences like twigs
upon losing a lock

but mostly,
I have witnessed the multitudinous
stalwart oaks, maples and chestnuts

towering soldiers

as they defend the hill in the bitter
unforgiving winds of winter --
erect, silent, resilient

Nature's humble sentries
for centuries.

By Mary E. Lohan