Willow

By the glist’ning lake, a fair Willow once stood On a lush bed of grass under a sapphire sky. There her graceful arms danced in the wind And gleamed like stars in their brightest hours. ’Twas there where her soft song seeped through the hills. How the birds would fall quiet, and the streams stand still! All nature would listen to her sweeping tune. So fair she was, but as the years passed by, The Willow’s beauty vanished, Her beaming smile faded And the sparkle in her eyes died. Her heart grew heavy, her arms sunk lower. No longer could she gaze into the glass of the lake; No longer could she sing, only weep and weep. How cruel time is! How He stole her youth, burdened her with age; Mocked her flaws, and wrinkled her face! Abandoned by the birds, she grieved alone. Only Death took pity on the poor Willow. Now silence fills the desolate wood, For all that remains is a stump where she stood.