1.
The rain wasn’t that heavy–
The wind gentle and light.
The ground soft and mushy;
The tree didn’t seem right.
Gradually, then all at once,
It crashed onto the road.
Branches reached toward the traffic
Grazing a truck with its load.
To slow the roll of the dice,
The driver screeched his brakes.
Broken limbs scattered about.
Drivers did double-takes.
2.
What was hidden in the oak?
John Hancocks, paper scraps;
Founding documents, it seems.
Escape routes, rebels’ maps.
Why the high-hush paranoia?
Fears of troops in cities–
Judges ruling for a king–
Twisted truths, vengeful ditties.
Sweep up Constitutional acorns–
Sow grains of free religion–
Scatter leaves of free press—
Propagate wholesome contagion.
Water roots with our free speech.
(This oak is of good stock.)
Fertilize with patriots’ blood.
Brace our minds from the shock.
