There stands a giant maple tree,
Beside an old abandoned farm.
Once a sight for all to see
Now neglected and forlorn
Around it once was joy and glee,
Filled with sounds of young and old.
I stand in awe beside this tree,
It’s the place I once called home.
Here we met so long ago,
beneath a million glittering stars.
Here our love began to glow,
On that day so long ago.
We made plans, had many dreams,
All stretched out before our feet.
But all is seldom what it seems;
How swiftly all just fades away
We don’t know what lies ahead,
nor how it all will end one day.
So much in life remains unsaid,
Beneath this tree, I muse and pray.
Erwin Schalm