An Ode to the Trees

O sacred trees, ye stand in defiance,
Of the storms and trials that life may weave,
Your roots dig deep in richness,
An eloquent tale of the earth’s reprieve.

With every ring, a story told,
Of weathered days, of age and bold,
An ode to the heights, a hymn to the ground,
In nature’s embrace, forever around.

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• James Weldon Johnson