The orange tree
No taller than a child
Served the springtime bees breakfast, lunch and dinner
Before the winds arrived
Before the grasshoppers invaded
The smell was captivating
I sent a blossom to my father
Locked tight in a Tupperware
There will be no oranges this February.
No oranges since the tree was planted last year
And I plucked all the small green fruits from its branches
All the more to give the roots a chance to dive deep and spread.
Those never ripened
But did serve a lovely still life on my tables for weeks.
There will be no fruit in February
So dearly looked forward to
Despite this lack of harvest, for human me;
Its leaves feed caterpillars
Its blossoms sustained the bees and flies
Spiders roam its branches
Its gorgeous green provides relief to my eyes.
A harvest for me is only one reason to plant a tree
There are uncountable benefits for all
