Mywalking Stick

There is a big Eucalyptus tree right behind where I live The trunk is large, with the branches straight and long When the Arizona Sun is blazing down, makes nice shade Even when branches die, they still have more to give At sunset, a breeze will blow through the leaves like a song The day is over and dues are paid One recent summer's eve, storm clouds boiled in the West A quick sand storm, lighting and thunder everywhere A hard driving rain all night, streets ran bank to bank The old tree stood fast, passed the test A dead twisted limb laid on the ground, like saying a prayer For the state that it was in, had only God to thank Out of bed at five, hot cup of coffee in my hand Went outside to make an overall inspection Was everything still standing, or had everything washed away? The early morning air was fresh, rain had bathed the land Looked up and down the street, then in a westerly direction The old fallen branch, there it lay It caught my eye, seemed to be the right size From past work injuries, my knees would go out every now and then The branch needed a friend and I needed a walking stick Picked it up,it was around waist high, I knew I had a prize My work was cut out, had to give a new skin Some sand paper, couple coats of varnish would do the trick Took off the old gray scale, down to yellow wood with brown grain Patched the cracks, so it would not split, couple of wraps of bailing wire By God, it was starting to show some character We started to smile and I had a good cane Like a miracle, saved from the fire Now as one, we walk together