The Stand...

How is it you can look at the sky
and know what time of year it is?
Is it the angle of the sun
changing the hues
or the chill in the air,
whispering hints to the tints
with frosty voice blowing plumes
in the shadow of the pines?

Always huddled together,
a true stand of trees
refuting Nature's cold;
too proud to bend their knees,
too strong to let go of leaves
with lessons hard learned and hard earned ,
fighting for every inch of rocky ground
Sentinels of the Forest,
bearing Nature's brunt for the rest
This is their lot, this is their test
and they bear it proudly
Noble Pines, may your soul be mine...
                (10-31-10)