Oak

Rising up out of the earth
           an oak tree fully formed
thick with lobate leaves
           and smooth acorn seeds
held in elegant cups :
           and I think of the many years
it has taken for it to achieve
           such a majestic stature
and of the winters it has endured
           of the radiant summers
through which it blossomed
           and hung heavy with fruit
an icon of the countryside
           a beauty that all its life
has grazed on sunshine
           its dense shade a haven
to young lovers
           who would lie beneath it
and simply dream that their day
           would never end

John Lyons