Pruning Date Palms

Today the date palms were pruned,
the branches taken before the fruit ripened,
before sweetness littered the sidewalks.

The man who sawed them worked alone,
raising himself to the yellowed fronds.
He stood tall, a pensive pioneer.
The rubble of bark
and fronds reminded of time past.

Quote of the day ~
I can't change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination.
~ Jimmy Dean

Fact of the day ~
The tongue is the strongest muscle in the human body.