Today beside the ice cream place I saw
A sturdy toddler oak rooted in
A downspout sediment bed. It stood there raw
And bare with seven brown leaves on spare
Branches like it belonged exactly there.
Because it did. Its size declared, “I’ve
Been here through two summers, and this is where
I plan to keep donating acorns and thrive.
I thought about the oak sapling I got
At graduation and how my Grandma made
Sure it was watered during the dry and hot
Summer when I left home and she stayed.
Grandma prayed for me and guarded that tree–
Her way of hugging me across a sea.
