Standing tall, firm and sure
They reached upward
Toward greatness

Providing shelter and protection,
Shade and sustinence,
From time immemorial

A home
To the small, vulnerable, and afraid 
And rewarded, in turn, with life-giving treasures

Shoulder to shoulder
Bough to bough, Root to root
A bridge from one to the next

A community
Protecting one another by weight and number
Nary a concern but for the recipricity of nature

~~~

Now, naked and exposed
The safe haven gone
Made vulnerable by the callous acts of man

Ranks, once able to brace and flow
Against unseen forces
Buckle and capitulate

Crowns ripped from their perch
The sacrificed lay, twisted and torn
At the feet of those who remain
 
Danger lurks in a fickle gust
They bend and bow at impossible angles
Break and fall

One by one, helpless, 
They succumb 
And the network crumbles

~~~

Let us learn from the trees
Safeguard community
Protect and nuture one another