Ellen's Old Tree

Ellen's Old Tree It was crumbling brick and decaying wood The front porch where we once stood The years were hard and all too many Now even gone was the hidden penny Yet, in the back, the tree stood still With time engrained sturdy will It held a memory of another and me Its where I carved J.H. n' E.D. Fifty years ago when we left that mark The sky did gray before it went dark The clouds held back 'til we were done Then hastily, hastily, we had to run I walked the still worn path to peek And see if the letters still did speak I touched the bark and studied it so The scars still there from long ago The sky it grayed as I left our tree When a boy ‘n girl floated past me In one hand was his destined life And in the other a rusty jack knife