LISTEN TO THE TREES
by Elizabeth Bethune
What are those trees saying
as they stand rooted to the ground?
Earth-bound, but forever swaying;
each with its own tree
sound.
The quaking aspen gossip;
leaves trembling in the breeze.
Western
hills are golden
with their shining, shaking leaves.
Clashing, rasping
palm fronds
speak of harsh tropical heat.
The royal palms stand stately
with palmettos at their feet.
Mangroves tell of journeys
as they wade through
swampy water,
Dense tangle impenetrable to humans;
a playground for raccoon and otter.
The
Patriarch of pine tree,
the ancient bristle-cone,
Tell of prairie schooner passing
toward a frontierman's western home.
One should stop and listen
to the
tale each has to tell.
You will never pass a talking tree
without falling in its spell.
