Bark rough branches thin

Stretch high

Leaves dot your outstretched

Limbs they glisten like

Stars. They tease

But they invited me.

I stand below, and glance

Up to your leafy crown.

I set my foot into bark

Rough, and I begin to

Climb.

But bark is brittle,

So steps must be

Of careful nature.

And as I climb

Your trunk begins

To twist.

You split between my feet,

The branches snapped

The leaves began to

Wither.

05/26/2025