Loading...
Loading...
Click here if you don’t see subscription options
Patricia SchnappMarch 24, 2008
Our old maple is half dead,
some branches long ago amputated,
deep rot in its lightning-cloven core.
We make idle guesses at its age
and imagine it crashing into our house
in some violent storm.
Next to the blue spruce and hickory
its clearly a venerable fossil,
an ancient great-grandmother
to maples across the street.
Our dying arboreal pet.
So its always a surprise
that first green salvo
of its huge and senile branches
every spring,
its dense foliage dappling our summer yard,
the raging fall colors that, sun-gilt,
are the uncontested splendor of our street,
the distillation of accumulated autumns
now defying, once again,
dire expectations.

Comments are automatically closed two weeks after an article's initial publication. See our comments policy for more.
17 years 3 months ago
I know the woman, I know the tree, And neither one ceases to surprise me. This is a wonderful poem. Thank you Pat for your persistent inspiration.
17 years 2 months ago
Sr. Pat, Congratulations! Proud of your publication. Very Profound.

The latest from america

President Donald Trump speaks as a flag pole is installed on the South Lawn of the White House, Wednesday, June 18, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
As I write, Mr. Trump is declaring that “nobody knows” what he is going to do about Iran. I fear that “nobody” includes him.
Sam Sawyer, S.J.June 18, 2025
A Homily for the Feast of Corpus Christi, by Father Terrance Klein
Terrance KleinJune 18, 2025
”Catholics across the ideological spectrum have expressed hope that Leo will be able to heal some of the divisions that emerged during the pontificate of his predecessor, Pope Francis.”
Monsignor Ray East, left, in front of St. Teresa of Avila Catholic Church in Washington, D.C.; Nathan East performs with Toto in Amsterdam on June 8, 2013 (photos: Nathan East/WENN Rights Ltd/Alamy)
For Monsignor Ray East and his brother Nathan, their faith feeds their music and their music feeds their faith.
Mike Jordan LaskeyJune 18, 2025