I came upon a fruit filled tree

(from my cousin Marianne (Menezes) Klingstrand)

I came upon a fruit filled tree

And wondered aloud, "How can this be?"

There was not a single leaf in sight,

None to the left and none to the right.

No signs of life, the branches were dry,

Yet abundance hung from low to high;

This mysterious tree in a verdant field

Gave away its life for one last yield.

Each drop of sap that went coursing through,

Nourished every fruit as it steadily grew.

No greater love hath one that gave its life away;

The tree drained slowly of its aquae vitae.

And this is the lesson to learn my friend,

We must bear fruit before we meet our end.

Thru our deeds like seeds will bring life anew,

To raise a sapling where the last one grew.

As one tree is felled, another is born,

As surely as the night is followed by morn.

The orchard intact, its legacy strong,

As life circles around, it will be here for long.

(Or until it is replaced by a housing development. Tree on California Street in Redlands).