To Be A Tree

A lot of people think

That I don't live free

But nobody knows

What it means to be a tree

I watch all the seasons

Change around me

Losing my leaves in the Fall

To grow back in the Spring

As the years age

I do as well

I once was a sprout

But I could live to be a hundred and twelve

I am a home for creatures

Big and small

A playground for children

And shade for all

I've held memories of lovers

As well as some pain

I'v been a shelter for some

To keep from the rain

And if I'm cut down

My life won't end there

I'll become paper for art

Or a table and chairs

Wood for fire

Material for tools

Walls for houses

And books for schools

There's not many of us left

But I don't dwell on that thought

As humans destroy Earth

They'll too be lost

Not knowing the toll

But paying the cost

And like all nature

I'll soon be back

Stronger than ever

Growing through cracks

Taking over structures

Towering and free

That's what it means

To be a tree