In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

-60Tree Prayer Dear God, Of all the things you’ve made I am so grateful for the shade Cast by this tree I sit beneath, Which even cleans the air I breathe. Birds live in trees, They’re often filled with chimpanzees, And sloths, two-toed and threes, Hang about in trees. You can hang a hammock from them, When they’re hollow you can drum them, And their leaves, they so become them, In such wide varieties. Elm and Birch and Maple Whose syrup is a staple On the buckwheat cakes I eat Or with honey from Mesquite. Texas has the most oak, Scrub Oak, Pin Oak, Post Oak, White Oak, Red Oak, Live Oak, Dead Oak, which would have been all right oak, If it wasn’t for the blight, That specialized in oak Then the tree just ain’t no good ’Cept to burn for firewood. Another gift to us from trees To warm the likes of yous and mees, We all suffer from disease From time-to-time, as do the trees. There are trees I’ve never heard of, Much less seen a bird of, But I always shoot the sure dove When it’s sitting in a tree. -61Perhaps it was there restin’ Or maybe it was nestin’ But I’m gonna put its breast in My gumbo delicacy. Thank You, Lord, for the Rosewood and Spruce That the instrument makers put to such use As violins, clarinets, and fine guitars, Mandolins, castanets, and those strange sitars. Apple and plums, peaches and pears, And sometimes in trees you just might find bears. Walnuts and Chestnuts and my favorite, Pecan, These kinds of trees, a man could live on. Cherries and Olives. All these treats for the palate, From trees alone you can make a fruit salad. Cradles and tables and beds for your slumber, Easy to build if you’ve got the lumber. Hickory for smoking. Camp fires for poking. White Pine for oars And Cedar for drawers And pianos made from Mahogany. Paper for writing The music delighting. Without trees . . . there would be no symphony! Copyright © 2007 Steven Fromholz ...

Share