The Planting

In a dark time we planted a tree we planted
a flowering crab-apple tree during a hard time
we planted it in our front yard though in saying
we planted I mean we paid for the tree
at a nursery where not everyone believed
ours is an evil time two strong men delivered
the tree in a truck they dug a wide hole where
we asked them to they rolled and lifted
the tarped rootball into the ground
stepped back to make sure it stood straight
and tall we also stood back from the tree
trying our best to be good in a bad time
we watched young pointed leaves resting
very still until the men began filling
the hole leaves then quivered with each
dirt shovel-full we planted a tree because
trees make us happy but we weren’t altogether
good in an evil time who can be. we planted
the tree for brilliant colors in spring
and we’ll water it this first year knowing
all we do about dry times we want it to thrive
we hope sunlight and starlight and rains
will fall over it and birds fly into it we choose
to believe that in dark times to come
our tree will show beautiful green shapes
each summer how hard to be right
in a bad time when a spring wind came up
we heard the tree rustle for the first time
what does it mean to be good
in an evil time we trust this tree
will blossom and fill and shed fall leaves
long after we’re gone was it for hope
we planted a tree was it for happiness
was it for beauty in a hard time as always
wasn’t it also too much about us in a dark time
no one is good enough we planted a tree
in our yard we hoped we lived through
our times on the earth we should’ve done
better we could’ve done more