These ancient trees laden with snow now stand
Somber and dark beneath grey frosty chains,
Sad vestiges of that which once stood grand,
Proud chieftains past of verdant rich domains;
There shackle bound by frozen swathes drab white,
Fair flogged and flayed by bitter icy winds,
Shoulder to shoulder their stance remains upright
Though to the worst of force, soft yield and bend.
Yet life prevails and buried hope renews,
The deepest dark of night heralds the dawn
And, though oppressed of burdens so accrued,
They bear life’s savagery and carry on;
Staunch sentinels that rail against all odds
Because or yet in spite of abstruse gods.

© Loubert S Suddaby. All Rights Reserved.