Near-Distance

Three dens nestle among

the roots of the great tree

called the “tree of life”

In the center of the field.

The bark is riddled with

holes of hundreds of in-

sects seeking shelter in

the ancient wood. Bird-

song sounds up above

me as gay robins finches,

swallows, and cardinals

tweet overhead, munching

on the numerous ants that

march up and down the trunk.

The bark of the treeIs cracked in places,

large ridges testament to its old age. Around the tree, dead

                                     branches         riddle the        grass, many         more still

                                   clinging to           the ends          of creaking          tree limbs.

A home for so many others, what will happen when the great tree finally falls to the ground?