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A spring breeze stirs the leaves of the old maple tree

In the front yard, I sit on the steps

And consider the similarities

I too have stood for what seems like ages

Limbs twisting in the wind

Sometimes snapping from the bough

Pieces of bark strewn about from the last storm

Soon raked up, twigs tied together

And discarded, forgotten

Like the many misdeeds I have endured

Still I stand

Offering shade from summer’s blistering heat

Beneath a protective canopy

To all who need it

People, like her branches, pruned,

Often painfully, from my life

That I may grow stronger and reach farther

Seasons change and leaves fall

Still I stand, firmly grounded

Roots stretching forth to find

That which nourishes me

Even through the cold and bitter winters

Spring comes again

New buds sprout forth

Full of promise and life renewed

Like that old maple tree

I stand

©2011 – Andrea J. Shannon