They Will Return
Arrival of derecho
Hurricane on shore
Knocked down trees
Straight from the roots
Great lumber littered all over
Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Unforeseen act of deforestation
Chalk it up to wrath of the wind.
Someday, the maples, the sycamores—
They will return.
Buzzsaw roars and tears
Raw sawdust from toppled
Trees hacked to smaller pieces
Giving rise to a grove of stumps
Natural covering from sun’s heat is missing
Strong branches, emerald leaves
Sixty-five percent
Removed from reality.
Someday, the black oaks, the lindens—
They will return.
With some manpower,
Work gloves, shovels,
The right saplings
For replanting,
Fructuous ground
For a solid base,
Summer rains and Autumn showers
Assisting in the gradual growth, then
Someday, the birches, the walnut trees—
They will return.
Someday, the forest—
It will return
Cool shade
To a deprived, sweltering city.
By Dee Allen.
From: United States
Website: https://conviction2change.com