Cutting & Keeping Trees

There are those who keep and care for trees

And those who cut trees down

Those who keep trees see the tree as a thing of beauty

As something with a long history, a majesty, a life

They see it has a home for other creatures

A habitat and a part of the world

Those who cut trees see the spaces the tree occupies

And imagine other things in its place

They see the old wood of the fallen tree

And imagine new logs and pieces of wood of different sizes

It is clear to me that in this big world

Keeping trees is a different business than cutting them down

And both businesses have different things in mind for the trees

They just seem to look at the same things in the world differently

It is clear to me as well that trees have a place in the world

And trees grouped together, make forests

And forests have a place in the world

And it is evident as well

That soon we must decide

Whether it will be better to keep or to cut

Those few trees and forests remaining

I must cast my stone for the keepers than the cutters

I find the trees to be my silent friends

Taller and nobler than myself

More long lived and stable

Than anything else in my temporary life

In respect and admiration

I keep what trees I can

I nurture them and take care of them

In the hope that they will survive myself

As an epitaph and natural testimonial

To my weak and forgotten life

And yet I am also a carpenter

And find in a piece of wood

The natural beauty of the grain

And in its finish the smooth touch and feel

Of craftsmanship and quality

My furniture and wooden statues are the skeletons of trees

Reconfigured in a range of designs

And so I cannot vote entirely against the cutters

As I see their place and purpose in our world

In leaving monuments to the trees

Either extreme seeming unacceptable

So I must advocate some kind of compromise

Between the cutters and the keepers

In the hope that trees can be both kept and cut

In fair and equal proportion

That I may both walk in wild forests

And sit on fine wooden stools

Seasons

Odd Ends: Perennial Poesy along the Way

2005