Voices

Have you ever thought about the voice of the trees,

whether they’re introduced by the wind or a breeze?

Sometimes trees will whisper; other times they will whine

as the moving air travels through willow and pine.

Their spreading limbs reach up to touch the cloudless sky

talking to each breeze as it goes hurrying by.

Trees change their voices at different times of the year,

vocal cords broad-leafed, needled, or shaped like a spear.

Birch, beech, cherry, pine, hemlock, hickory, and cedar;

aspen, sycamore, fir, maple, oak, and poplar,

each sings a song loud or soft in sun and shade;

solitary, in a forest, or in a glade.

Whether clothed in green, pink or white bloom, bare, or gold.

Each has a voice; young sapling or twisted and old.