Thank you for the shade that cooled my home, saving energy.
Thank you for being home to birds and squirrels.
Thank you for the colorful Fall seasons, so leafy.

Thank you, Dear Brother, for the secret language of trees, and
sibling rivalries, which got my attention
when you invaded my sewer pipe in the dead of winter,
pretending to be a gremlin under my yard.

Plumbers cursed gremlin’s brew. I conserved you.
Your crown protected me, using the sun’s energy.

Now, old age and drought have taken their toll.
Your crown fades but not your soul.
Your decay will feed fertile forests.

I’ll miss the blessings of our kinship.

Charles Trimberger is a spiritual naturalist who finds God in nature. This includes the Silver Maple tree in his front yard. Trees have a special place in his mind and soul. He appreciates the prompt of kinship, which immediately brought him to his life with this magnificent tree.