Big Tree

Big Tree,
Breathing frantically.
Moving in the wind,
More masterful than me.

Long-arms stretching,
In a negligee.
Leaves that wrap you over,
Rare beauty...we can see.

Summer-time enfolds you,
There's rhythm in the air.
I see beautiful lines all fluttering,
And hear soft words of prayer.

Standing there in splendor,
To be seen by gazing eyes.
Letting the world admire thy growth,
Resplendent in thy size.

Big Tree,
Wreathing out from side to side.
Portraying well...thy worth,
Making thyself an ornament,
And a vision to all the earth.

E.P. 1908 - 1989

I am quite sure that the particular tree Ethel was moved to poetry by was the beautiful weeping willow that grew in her front yard on Sunnyside.

This is an old mountain mahogany tree.