Gingko Tree

"To hold as 'twere, the mirror up to nature. " William Shakespeare," Hamlet 1601." Long ago another planted you, My cherished Ginkgo tree. She tamped you in so carefully And bequeathed you unto me. Did she then live to see you grow So stately and so tall? And to see your charming bright green dress Turn golden in the fall? You’re clothed in pretty fan shaped leaves, A tree beyond compare. How many robin families, Have nested in you, Maidenhair? Although other trees have broken, ‘Neat the north wind’s violent gale; You, Ginkgo pay no heed at all. To winter’s abusive rail. Your forebears came from China, Where they were long revered, And studying under their branches An old sage with his beard. Your kind was here as early As the first ferns and their spores. No tree has longer history, Your fathers knew dinosaurs. Strange that old Mother Nature, Decided you should survive so long, While we humans sometimes die before The last verse of our song. The answer to long life and health, Is in the leaves of the Maidenhair tree. If you let me pluck a few of yours, I’ll brew up my cup of tea. If only the one who planted you, Had known of your power. She could have drunk of Ginkgo tea,* And been here for happy hour. * Ginkgo leaves are touted as being healthful . Won a 5th place Joyce Johnson Revised April 19, 2011 From my private files, not posted. undated. For Constance's contest "The Tree"