“Love of Trees,” New Era, Nov. 1991, 51
Love of Trees
Did my father plant this tree?
Did he plant it for me to watch,
To swing from, to laugh in,
And watch the sky from?
Does he watch me kick up the leaves in fall
That float down like toy parachutes,
Flip flop spin,
And me laughing?
From tender, green, and supple
To brown-red and winter,
To have spring again
And then the shades of summer.
This tree—
Was it planted just for me?