I wrote Sentry For A Century a long time ago, about 15 rings ago, and have always liked the story in it. I hope my writing did it justice.
Sentry For A Century
Standing where no man alive has stood before
Yet millions have walked by
It watched over the southwestern valley floor
When its branches still reached for the sky
The circle is the strongest shape
But over a hundred rings weren’t strong enough
To stop the oak tree’s chainsaw fate
In my clearing the overlooking bluff
It was the sentry for a century
Now fallen, a stump remains in front of me
Over 100 rings stare back at me
Never blink, no sappy tears for this tree
A feeling of wrong roots itself in me
This vantage point meant for buckeyes to see
Its point of view, none alive had ever seen
And for no reason should there have ever been
In an effort to make it right again
I resign to re-assign this post
To the kindling soldier’s next of kin
A lower branch on the family tree
To follow in its elder’s root-steps
And leave its bark in history
Mainly because I realized it was right,
But partly for selfish reason
I planted a new young guard tonight
To cover my act of tree-son
Its assignment the same as its predecessor
Posted in the very same station
Would I still be around, my thoughts did harbor
To be the only one to stand there again, non-arbor