the great withered oak

as neighboring trees grew green
with spring,
newly frocked with foliage,
a great oak stood stoic
in an abandoned parking lot
on a high-traffic highway,
still leafless into April.

well the tree was not safe -
what if the chainsaws came?
what if they mistook the tree for dead?
drivers stuck at the busy intersection
turned away from the bright sun
and gazed at the derelict situation
their engines purring and grumbling.
‘You can do it!’ they thought to the tree.
‘Don’t worry!’
but the drivers worried nonetheless
and some secretly gave up on the withered oak.
a rain shower wandered through,
and still the branches bare as December.
then came a day
approaching May
a glance from the road showed
the oak arrayed
in a fine halo of pale green
glowing with light,
small new leaves in cheerful smatterings
against the grays of the old trunk.
the return of life was a radiant gift
in the worn down parking lot
along the noisy highway.