Without this tree
I could not see the daily patterns of sunrise
Reaching through the canopy
Without this tree
I could not hear the interplay
Of the late summer breeze and the yet green leaves
Without this tree
I would not learn how to stand strong
When the fiercest gales are raging
Without this tree
I would not understand
The necessity for endurance if the bitter cold of winter
Seemed interminable
Without this tree
I could not wonder at
The dignity and beauty of a hundred years of patient growth
Without this tree
I would not hear the melodious calls
Of a thousand different birds
Without this tree
I would have nowhere to tie
The far end of my washing line
Without this tree
Life would not be
As I know it to be