Sometime in it's youth to mid life years, it's trunk separated and became two, looking sort of like Siamese tree trunks. Then on its way skyward, each twin developed quite large limbs, some finally becoming larger than the single trunk that rose from the ground. This makes for a very top heavy tree, on both sides! Each twin put forth so many, many branches making the whole west end of the house shady and cool on hot summer days.
Oh how I hated to see them cut it down! But it had become a danger to our house and to our neighbor's barn if there came a wind storm one day.
Thankfully there are three maples growing near by, one a young tree and two sapplings. So some shade will be garnered now and more in later years. These youngsters look healthy and don't show any signs... yet... of doing the separation act.
I could find only one picture of this old tree.
A poem in honor of the old maple
Farewell Old Friend
Stately Maple, so tall and proud;
Dressed in your summer green gown
Of lovely leaves, that ride the breeze
Of a lazy August afternoon.
A shady spot to while away the day,
Lost in a book of verse,
Or in memories of times long past,
Sipping ice cold lemonade
From a tall blue glass.
No more....after today!
They said you've grown too tall,
A threat now to us all;
So you had to fall
By way of the ax and the saw.
It hurt to see you hewed down;
Your branches fed to the chipper,
Your limbs sawn asunder,
Your tall trunk, now in great chunks.
But you'll not be forgotten,
In spring, I'll recall
watching for your new pink buds;
And surely for your summer shade, I'll pine.
While in Autumn, I'll miss
The bright orange costume you'd don;
And the rustle of your leaves
O'er the late October ground.
When winter comes with it's frosty ways
And we gather by the cozy fireside,
Again I'll remember you, with gratitude, dear old tree
As you burn on the hearth, warming me.
Dottie Richardson 8/2/2012
Farewell Old Friend
Stately Maple, so tall and proud;
Dressed in your summer green gown
Of lovely leaves, that ride the breeze
Of a lazy August afternoon.
A shady spot to while away the day,
Lost in a book of verse,
Or in memories of times long past,
Sipping ice cold lemonade
From a tall blue glass.
No more....after today!
They said you've grown too tall,
A threat now to us all;
So you had to fall
By way of the ax and the saw.
It hurt to see you hewed down;
Your branches fed to the chipper,
Your limbs sawn asunder,
Your tall trunk, now in great chunks.
But you'll not be forgotten,
In spring, I'll recall
watching for your new pink buds;
And surely for your summer shade, I'll pine.
While in Autumn, I'll miss
The bright orange costume you'd don;
And the rustle of your leaves
O'er the late October ground.
When winter comes with it's frosty ways
And we gather by the cozy fireside,
Again I'll remember you, with gratitude, dear old tree
As you burn on the hearth, warming me.
Dottie Richardson 8/2/2012
That was such a lovely poem and such a nice ode to that faithful maple. That must have been hard to watch, yes. Sorry it had to go.
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