I had seen it
knew it was there
huge and towering
over our insignificant lives
Living for centuries
as the landscape changed.
Then one day I drove past.
They were cutting it down
to make room for a turn lane.
This ancient tree,
four humans could join hands round it,
alive yesterday
today lay bleeding, horizontal.
Time has passed.
This morning, this very morning
they have filled up their turn lane.
A new lane is now far enough away
to have saved the old wizened tree:
But the tree is gone,
Probably the paper I’m writing on.
Contributed by Marilyn New, Redmond, WA