Poem for World Environment Day

The Tree on the Hill

The tree on the hill is my friend:
he greets me night and day.
Whenever I take a glance, he’s there.
‘Hi!’ he seems to say.

And he’s my calendar:
he guides me through the year.
When his emerald crown turns gold,
I know that winter’s near.

And he’s my entertainer:
he’ll dance for me, and sing.
He hums me tunes and fairy-tales
and waltzes with the wind.

He houses birds and beetles,
and shades the summer flowers,
and shelters moles and mice and voles –
he’s princely with his powers.

And still he stands, as ever,
my brave and noble knight,
still, but far from ever:
tonight’s his final night.

That tree’s my inspiration –
top tree of the town,
but he’s a blight to the building site:
tomorrow he comes down.