Our big willow out front is scheduled to be cut down today. It was hit by lightning and has quickly died. During the same storm a pine was struck out back that inspired the following fun little poem. (Hoping the formatting will post intact.)
A Line of Pines
Pines all-in-a-daisy-chain-straight-line backing the house but for an exceptable-pine-dropped-the-line,
which with a crack that jumped the dog into my bed
the lightning shattering bark unwinds
like Escher’s orange peels in perfect symmetry
falling shrouds the bare charred ground
leaving the puzzling HOA to decide
how to fell a dead dark pine that dared to step out of line.
tamingthemilemonster 