Dead branch on a dead tree
Chillin' in New York in January
Said, "I'm headin' south
Where the weather's fine
I'm gonna bear some fruit
Far away from this vine."
Dead branch on the turnpike
Goin' southbound, gotta hitchhike
"How's Florida sound?"
A truck driver shoots,
"This stick's already there!
I'm ditchin' my roots!"
Dead branch on a sandy beach
Wind-worn, sun-bleached.
Thinkin' "I'm in paradise,
That without a hitch,
I'll bear tropical fruit!
That old tree will trip!"
Dead branch, now driftwood
Washed up in his old neighborhood
Spring came and has gone
Summertime has found
The dead tree's alive
It's fruit now abounds!
Dead branch, but an outcast
Been gathered up for the furnace blast
So now our friend is dust
But had he persevered
He'd have borne much fruit
And prolonged his years.
Thomas Herder
15 March 2008
