June 28, 2026, entered in Seth Pina's Tree contest
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On this most unusual autumn day I must say goodbye to an old friend, a gigantic, ancient oak tree in my front yard: You have shaded my porch for decades enabling me to sit in my swing on warm days relaxing, reading, and writing poems. You have been the home of innumerable squirrels. Little songbirds have perched on your branches and serenaded me with their delightful trilling. Limb by limb, you have been dying for a long time. Twice, you have had to part with appendages, felled by saws—at my reluctant bidding, but of necessity. Some limbs have fallen on their own, in my yard and even on the road! Horrendous weather is coming, with ice and high winds. For others and myself, I fear the huge limbs on your right side that have been bare for several years. How they creak when the wind rises! The tree cutters will be here tomorrow. Not even a stump will remain at day's end. From this time forward, I will visualize you where you once resided. I won't forget you. Your kinfolk are still here, tall and strong— as you once were. May they thrive long after I am gone.
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