I Have a Bet

I have a bet with an old fig tree in my backyard; a bet as to whether he will be out of the ground before I am in it; not that we wish the other a speedier demise, for there is a strong fondness and bound we share -- having fed one another for many years— I, on his figs and lustrous shade; and he, on my careful pruning and sensitive irrigation...both of us, around harvest, receiving song-full praising from the many winged interlopers, and four legged sojourners of our opulent and thoroughly integrated community; as to the motive for our wager it is more tongue-and-cheek, or bark-and...whatever -- reflecting the inevitable folly of both our journeys… below or above seems to make little difference in the final revelation—sort of like, rich vs. poor...we are all equal to the Grim Reaper—Nature’s totally, Politically Correct Recycler….