From Little Acorns

From Little Acorns

The squirrel ran frantically across the field 

Carrying its previous 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 rain drops 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 

As a dog desperately sniffs all around 

The mighty oak tree