Dad's Pine Trees

You carried the young pine trees from our old cottage by the lake To our new cottage on the hill, planting them carefully, lovingly When young and bent crooked; you guided them with a little stake Over the years, with the sun and the rain, they grew Into mature, sturdy pines, so strong and so beautiful They were each free to branch out in any direction For you planted them wisely, far apart to have room to grow They shed their needles, sometimes overwhelmingly sad Their unmistaken fragrance carried on the wings Of the slightest breeze that wafts gently through the air How it reminds me of you, and I feel like you are here Whispering that you love us and have never left us Then, I shall whisper softly that I will never forget you, Dad