It’s Earth Day, a perfect day to celebrate the earth and nature and our connections to them. Donnetta at #verselove suggested crafting a poem that honors Mother Earth in some way. Abigail, part of the #writeout team from the National Writing Project shared a recoding of Ada Limon reading the Mary Oliver poem Can You Imagine?
After a day spent with first graders talking and learning about all the reasons and ways we can and should honor and care for our planet, I found myself thinking about the ever-present tall palm tree that has been a constant on our playground for longer than I can remember. This is the tree that inspired my poem for today.
Tree-by-the-Sea
Can you imagine
standing tall and still
a constant
playground companion
for generations of children
Watching wall ball games evolve
casting a skinny shadow
a line of shade
connecting
play and nature and trees and kids and learning
Can you imagine
the stories
our sentinel palm
can tell
of friendships forged
lives linked
in a school-by-the-sea
Toes tucked in deep
green crown with a priceless view
if you listen to the rustle
you might hear your childhood
in the leaves of a tall
tree-by-the-sea
Thinking Through My Lens 
I love the last few lines “you might hear your childhood in the leaves of a tall tree-by-the-sea.” I feel that way about our old oak with the rope swing. She has so many stories to tell. My husband likes to say she was born in Spain because Louisiana was not even a state when she was planted.