From Little Acorns
The squirrel ran frantically across the field
Carrying its precious load
A round, glossy acorn
It could hear the dog’s bark
Floating through the air
Getting ever closer
The squirrel stopped
Urgently looking around
The soft, brown soil beneath its feet
As fast as it could it buried its treasure
The squirrel scurried away
The leaves rustled beneath its tiny feet
As it ran to make its escape up a tree
The dog lolloped along
It could have sworn it had seen a squirrel
It could still smell its scent
The dog sniffed frantically by the freshly dug soil
Then moved to the tree, stretching up its trunk
It could hear its owner calling his name
The dog turned and headed back to its master
Autumn was in full swing
The little acorn buried beneath the soil
As winter raged above ground
Something miraculous was happening below
The little acorn had formed roots
It pushed them deep into the ground
As winter passed over, it gave way to Spring
Tiny green shoots pushed their way through the earth
A rabbit hopped along, stopping momentarily
It sniffed the weedy plant
It didn’t seem that appetising
It moved on its way
Springtime brought along April showers
The raindrops falling
Bending the young plant’s delicate leaves
The ground saturated around it
The seedling barely able to withstand the elements
But day by day
It grew
Every day it got stronger
A little taller
A small child out walking with her Dad
Running gleefully across the fields
Delighted at the sound her wellies made in the wet mud
Not a care in the world
Arms spread out like a helicopter
She ran wildly
Right over the seedling
It bent under her weight
She ran off, laughing, unaware of her “crime”
The spring storms gave way to summer sun
The seedling somehow unfurling itself
Drawing itself up towards the sun
Every day this miracle of nature strengthened
The tiny sapling endured a summer of blistering heat
Its deep roots searching out water
Deep beneath the ground
As the dry earth cracked upon the surface
As the years rolled by
What was once a bare patch of earth
Was now home to a young oak sapling
It still had a long way to go
Before it became a tower of strength
It had many more challenges to withstand
Children passed on by
Some stopping to try and climb up the narrow trunk
They pulled on its branches
Releasing them like catapults
As its branches strengthened
It became a refuge
Birds perched in it
Hiding from predators
As they sought somewhere to build a nest
But each day brought new strength
All its might and energy put into growth
From a tiny action
A wonder appears
And 50 years on ….
Now reaching up
High into the blue sky
Its strong branches
In full leaf the tree provides a canopy
A shelter for animals and humans alike
A squirrel perches up in its branches
In its furry paws it clutches a tiny acorn
As a dog desperately sniffs all around
The mighty oak tree
