The Lament of the Willow

In days long past when life was new,
A leafy blooming tree once grew,
Its slender switches reached up high,
Its arms spread open to the sky

But different though from other trees,
That drank of water, sun, and these,
To quench their thirst and form their roots,
This tree drank else to grow its fruits

Of the first to grow in the fresh new earth,
It held to the powers that shaped its birth,
It thrived on love and warmth of soul,
But faith in man would take its toll

The tree grew weak as the days went by,
As it painfully considered why,
A sadness seeping through its veins
An overwhelming sense of pain,

A terrible submissive feel,
This dark sensation now revealed
Of human hate through human flaw,
A crack where evil sinks its claw

Until a poison swept its leaves,
The tree would quake in the softest breeze,
Its switches wilting, branches bowed,
This willow tree, that once was proud

Man’s sins consuming this once free,
Now silent weeping willow tree,
Its blossoms fell to grace the ground,
It sighed and wept without a sound