Front Yard Cedar

It stands at least 75 feet tall

and equally as wide

stretching far from my neighbor’s yard

and across my driveway

In winter, branches heavy with snow

dipping to my mailbox

and still now

others resting on my roof

There’s a bow so large

it appears a second trunk

like all this mighty tree had to say

was not enough

In the hot dry heat of summer

I’m afraid of brittle needles

blanketing the ground

near my house

And weekly blow and rake them

to scoop into the green bin

to be picked up

and hauled away

Thoughts of red orange fire

and a massive fire-cracker cedar

occupy my mind more than is reasonable

for normal preparation duties

And yesterday when I tripped on the green bin

and fell and scraped my knee

I sensed this dominating tree saying,

“Oh silly, tiny human scampering about like a squirrel”