The chestnut the oak
       the elm the ash
have soaked up
       the night’s rain
So easy on the eye
       their lush green leaves
so peaceful and majestic
       as they winnow the wind

Eloquent in their intelligence
       they speak of the beauty of life
that never really fades
       With exemplary endurance
they guide us through
       the deepest tests of time
Ever present ever faithful
       they line our horizons
circumspect and generous
       and absolutely undemanding

Under willow one evening
       I lay and looked up
through the slender branches
       and saw my star trace
a path across the sky
       and that night I dreamt
of you and all the love
       we once shared

John Lyons