My body is bare from wear and tear,
A victim of the ravages of Man.
I wonder why the earth we can’t share,
As I struggle and survive best as I can.

Bereft of leaves, they call me a tree,
All cut and shorn, I’m used for fire;
No one grieves for poor little me,
I’m even lit for the ceremonial pyre.

I breathe the air that he exhales,
Provide the cover and give him shade,
Protect him I do from stormy gales –
Driven by greed, of what is he made?

Without green around he wouldn’t survive,
I’ve seen what he’s like in the desert sand;
He needs both grass and me to thrive,
Why then do we not walk hand in hand?

Shelter I give to both man and beast,
Treetop homes for children to play,
Under my boughs you can rest and feast,
And happiness find along life’s way.

I’d feel sorry, and wouldn’t you,
If the woodpecker didn’t have wood to chew?
And the sweet little sparrow, whom I love
Had no nest, nor did the dove.

Where then would lonely eagles perch
If I’m destroyed and they’re left in the lurch?
I’m home for swinging monkeys, you know,
Where then, alas, would they also go?

Forests provide the resting place,
The cover to cats to hide their face;
Where would lions, tigers and panthers be?
They’d be extinct if it wasn’t for me.

Apples and oranges, pears and berries,
Fruits galore, and lots of cherries;
Rosewood isn’t a flower, I know,
But blossoms you need to set you aglow.

What would you do without Christmas trees?
What would you do to adorn your hair?
There’d be no presents, no Santa, if you please;
If there were no flowers, would a maiden be fair?

Why then does he unfairly treat
Me, the tree, his friendly mate?
When arboreals and birds I joyfully greet,
And shower them with love, for that’s my fate.

Carbon footprints and emission control,
You think you’re master, and I have no role!
Nothing’s farther from the truth:
You’re looking at parts, you’ve forgotten the whole.

Don’t listen to me, and you will see
Melting glaciers and ice caps gone;
Who then will protect both you and me
From greenhouse effect and solar fury?

Would someone please to Man explain,
There’d be no place for him without me!
Why does he want self-inflicted pain –
And heeds not the prayer of the dying tree?

I am now the endangered tree
My survival is up to you and me.

(The author is a prolific poet who has over 30 poetry books to his credit. He can be reached at ashoksawhny06@gmail.com/ www.ashoksawhny.com)