PHOTOGRAPH BY J MOTTERSHEAD

She Tree
by Linda Jackman

She will not easily surrender to the autumn
Clinging to her leaves as a child
Would cling to its mother.
Her battle begins, one she will lose
Driving winds forge a path though her boughs,
Leaves franticly dance
As if to escape their prison.
The tips of her canopy now exposed,
Revealing an intricate web
Of intertwining limbs.
She has lived many seasons.
Soon she will stand naked against the
Harsh elements that
Procede the autumn of her life
Yet she is strong.
Though winter will take its toll,
It will not penetrate her shell.
She will simply sleep, until
A new season brings fourth new growth.