by Shannon Earley Stout
Cardinals, blue jays, robins, and squirrels, Brave little boys and sweet little girls-
The mighty oak limbs supported their play, And Daddy would watch day after day.
“These ol’ acorns are makin’ it tough
To keep the yard nice,” Mama would huff. But Daddy liked his big oak tree.
He’d watch the squirrels with me on his knee.
“It blocks the sun from my flowers’ bloom, And o’er my bulbs those grey squirrels loom.” “You can take it down when I’m gone one day, But for now let’s watch the grandkids play.”
He rode his mower, and she pushed her rake. With Yard of the Month often tacked to a stake. The decades pass, iced tea in its shade,
The oak saw a lifetime of happiness made.
Sunrise, sunset under Carolina sky
They sat on the porch til it was time for goodbye. And despite what he told her, she can’t take it down. Its limbs like his arms, its canopy a crown.