Litany for Pines

 Happy May Day and Poetry Friday! Elizabeth Steinglass has the Roundup today and offers a great video where she shares poems from her terrific book Soccerverse. Many thanks, Elizabeth!
This past week we had to do a difficult thing; we cut down 10 pine trees very close to our home.

We have lived with these trees for forty-two years, and they were huge when we arrived. This winter strong winds sheared off a thirty-foot top, which, thankfully, did not land on the roof. So it was time to say goodbye with gratitude. 
We spoke this litany to the sentinels who stood with us for so long.
 To Our Pines
To pines who have sheltered us from wind and snowwhose shade has cooled uswe offer gratitude.And let you go.
For birds’ nests and sighing branches,for holding swings, wind chimes and clothes lineswe offer gratitude.And let you go.
To friends who’ve grown older with us,given us oxygen to breathe,we offer gratitude.And let you go.
May your spirits remain close,your whispers stay in memory,your legacy bless what shall come anew.We let you go.