Home » Poems » Gershon Wolf » Once Tall and Stately

Once Tall and Stately

The tree was wracked with age, disease
  her branches missing bark and leaves
Chill rains attacked -- it coughed, it wheezed
  Resistance gone, what good to grieve

Once tall and stately, proud to be
  the loveliest of maple trees
Her sap flowed rich throughout the Fall
  Delicious treat for one and all

So sad to see a landmark die
  Enough to make a grown man cry



     ~ Iambic Tetrameter ~

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Caren Krutsinger

Date: 1/5/2022 11:50:00 AM

I cry when a tree dies "So sad to see a landmark die Enough to make a grown man cry" I had a weeping willow die after seven years; that was eight years ago and I still tear up when I think of it.

Terry Flood

Date: 12/22/2021 4:15:00 PM

Yeah, but what if it was blocking the light to the window of the en-suite in bedroom fourteen? Give a squillionaire a break, huh! ;-) Terry

Terry Flood
Date: 12/22/2021 4:21:00 PM

Sorry GW… couldn’t help myself. Smashing write, and, yes, the loss of a formally majestic tree is a sad one indeed. The long winding road that runs by my house was like a tunnel of overhanging branches until a year or so ago, when the council felled many of them… IN CASE THEY FELL! Say what?

Lindsay Laurie

Date: 12/21/2021 7:21:00 PM

Hello Gershon ... if only our aged trees could speak our language. We could hear about our local history for weeks - thanks again Gershon - Lindsay

Debra L Brown

Date: 12/21/2021 9:37:00 AM

Hello!Gershon, This poem reminds me of a couple of trees my aunt and uncle planted. At my grandmother's house on the day they were married. They were married in 1937. No one lives in the house any more as they have passed on. The trees are over 100 feet tall. So many memories around those trees. Thanks for the poem. Blessing ~ Debra

Mike Gentile

Date: 12/21/2021 3:48:00 AM

So true GW, I've just lost 3 Water Oaks on my street and their presence is sorely missed~ Happy Holidays !!!

Lin Lane

Date: 12/21/2021 1:52:00 AM

I cry when their leaves fall, and more saddened upon the death of a tree.

Valsa George

Date: 12/20/2021 5:47:00 PM

Sad is the plight of the tree.... ! A tree in its prime gives shelter and shade to man and beast.... But no tree can withstand the ravages of time.... so is man . Beautiful poem, thought giving and masterfully composed.....

Rico Leffanta

Date: 12/20/2021 11:24:00 AM

The real story is the lifetime of abuse it endured - insects, birds, weather, etc. that its bark concealed . . . .

L Milton Hankins

Date: 12/20/2021 9:36:00 AM

Ah, gw, nothing makes me sadder than to see a beautiful tree mutilated or cut down because it is annoying someone. Yes, I have cried. Call me a tree-hugger!