The Falling Trees

The Falling Trees

They never fall for nothing

they fall because they know

because the earth is shifting

and something waits below

The crack is not a warning

it’s more a last regret

the limbs reach out for nothing

the ground is cold and set

No bird will sing above them

no fox will make a den

the rot begins in silence

and spreads through where they’ve been

They stood too long in knowing

they watched and held their breath

too proud to bow to weather

they made a deal with death

And when they fall, they whisper

they whisper things we’ve heard

but claim we can’t remember

not clearly, not in words

The path they block keeps changing

the light forgets their face

and though we say we’re moving

we’re always in stay that place