The Lilac tree

Her slender branches cascade gracefully down as if to tickle the sparkling snow below. The bright red cardinals flit to and fro, seemingly in agreement with the black and yellow chickadees and vibrant blue jays, to bring her bare branches alive with color. It’s as if she deliberately planned on branches that would accommodate their tiny feet as they spring from bough to bough. The chickadee sings his winter song “ chickadee dee dee.”

She wears her little birds like jewels, showing them off against her pale nakedness. Even in the bitter cold of winter she remains regal and full of promise for what lies ahead. Not long after the crocus has peeked through the savory earth, and the daffodil has heralded the unfolding of spring, she will once again emerge from her winter cloak as the show stopper she is. She will once again boast thick green leaves and her tiny blossoms will throw a symphony of heady sweetness into the breeze, knowing that the bumblebees and butterflies will be powerless to resist her temptation.

Now her branches are dressed in shiny green leaves and as they dance down to the earth the cool grass blades reach up to touch them, as if somehow steal her magic. Each tiny blossom now sings in unison, and their chorus drifts on the summer breeze, exciting those who revel in her tapestry of beauty and sweetness. The creatures of the woods have been poised and waiting for her beckon call to taste her generous nectar, and now she smiles down on them as they go from flower to flower, seemingly intoxicated by her endless offerings. The butterflies dance around her in a kaleidoscope of color and motion, delirious from her sweet seduction.

As summer wanes and her tiny blossoms float wearly to the earth, she sighs as the sun sets on her faded gown. But she is content and she smiles as tiny sparkling snowflakes waft through the chilly air and land on her now naked branches. Soon the snow will gently pull her branches back towards the earth and she will be alive with color again.

She will forever be the seductress of all things beautiful.

After all, she is the Lilac.