In Pieces On The Ground Poem by Jim Yerman

"Trees are poems the earth writes upon the sky, We fell them down and turn them into paper, That we may record our emptiness." Kahlil Gabran


IN PIECES

Let me introduce myself…I have no name…at least not formally…
I have stood on my property for over 50 years…you see…I am a tree.

I've been home to many insects and birds…and neath my boughs I've seen many people come and go…from this very spot I've shaded a house and multiple families…I've watched scores of children grow.

But when the last family moved out of the house I shaded…suddenly…one day big machines and their workers moved in, tore it down…and hauled it all away.

A ‘For Sale' sign went up in my yard and my excitement was unfading…when my property sold knowing I'd soon discover…the next house I'd be shading.

One day more machines and their workers came into my yard…knowing my fortune was about to be remade…I stood up as tall and as proud as I could….happy to offer my comfort and my shade.

But the more I watched them in my yard…the more I came to see…They did not come for my comfort or my shade…they came, instead…for me.

When I saw that crane go up and heard their chain saws start…my leaves began to shake…Stop…Stop! I cried… Please stop! This must be a mistake".

"You don't understand! " I shouted "I've been standing here for over 50 years, "
Either they didn't care or, because the chain saws were so loud…perhaps they didn't hear.

They started by cutting off my highest limbs…immediately I began to cry…when I realized…never again…was I going to touch the sky.

Again I screamed for them to stop…again they ignored my plea….
Now I was crying for all the creatures who will no longer make their home in me.

After an entire day of ripping me apart…all that could be found…were pieces of the tree I once was…strewn upon the ground.

And with my life in pieces I was left to wonder…why….why would they destroy a poem the Earth wrote upon the sky?

And if anyone out there has the answer…there is something else I'd like to know…How could they destroy, in one day, what took me 50 years to grow?