Last night sometime between 7:30 pm and 9:30 pm my beloved cherry tree laid down and died. My husband went out to water, and the tree was down. Amazingly enough she fell diagonally across the yard avoiding all there trees, the two fences nearby, and the neighbor's house. In addition the dogs weren't outside when it happened.
My heart is saddened. I had just finished the last piece of cherry pie the day before from this season's crop. Also, only two days before I had been under the tree pruning lower branches.
When I rose this morning, I wrote a poem in honor of this old, magnificent tree. Here it is:
Farewell to a Cherry Tree
by Heather Hobson Lewis
Arising at my husband's beckoning
I flicked on a light
and followed him into the night.
We tread into the backyard
where the words I thought must have been exaggerated
proved to be completely true.
You, my beautiful tree, had laid down and quietly died.
Leaves still green,
cherries still at your top,
you now rested sprawled diagonally across the ground.
Mere hours before, out the window, I smiled at you,
all tall and strong,
you, who had just provided fruit upon fruit earlier this month,
some of which is now sealed in glass jars.
Just the day before I had eaten
the last piece of this season's pie from your cherries.
Just two days before,
I had been raking discarded pits and limbs
from beneath your wide spreading boughs,
while I thanked you for such an abundant harvest.
Yet this morning I awaken,
knowing your last summer and final cherry season
are now behind you.
Silently you laid down,
and in your kindness found a spot,
evading the other trees, the fences, and the neighbor's yard.
What a loving, amazing creature you were.
Kind enough to wait one more season,
to wait for the dogs to be on a walk,
and to wait for me to no longer be on the ladder beside you
when you chose to fall.
With love in my heart for you my dear cherry tree,
I say farewell.
My heart is saddened. I had just finished the last piece of cherry pie the day before from this season's crop. Also, only two days before I had been under the tree pruning lower branches.
When I rose this morning, I wrote a poem in honor of this old, magnificent tree. Here it is:
Farewell to a Cherry Tree
by Heather Hobson Lewis
Arising at my husband's beckoning
I flicked on a light
and followed him into the night.
We tread into the backyard
where the words I thought must have been exaggerated
proved to be completely true.
You, my beautiful tree, had laid down and quietly died.
Leaves still green,
cherries still at your top,
you now rested sprawled diagonally across the ground.
Mere hours before, out the window, I smiled at you,
all tall and strong,
you, who had just provided fruit upon fruit earlier this month,
some of which is now sealed in glass jars.
Just the day before I had eaten
the last piece of this season's pie from your cherries.
Just two days before,
I had been raking discarded pits and limbs
from beneath your wide spreading boughs,
while I thanked you for such an abundant harvest.
Yet this morning I awaken,
knowing your last summer and final cherry season
are now behind you.
Silently you laid down,
and in your kindness found a spot,
evading the other trees, the fences, and the neighbor's yard.
What a loving, amazing creature you were.
Kind enough to wait one more season,
to wait for the dogs to be on a walk,
and to wait for me to no longer be on the ladder beside you
when you chose to fall.
With love in my heart for you my dear cherry tree,
I say farewell.
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| Cherry Tree has Fallen. This is actually the top of the tree. |
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| Notice the small tree in the cage that the cherry just missed? |
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| So close to the fence line. |
 |
| So close to the other fence line. |
Thankful you were able to partake of the fruit of your cherry tree one last time. Beautiful poem.
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