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