Gerald Seniuk is retired, a Canadian, and resides in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.
Apple Tree
Old apple tree looks strong but it
has not long to go. Age takes its
toll and will take down this old
friend as we both near our end.
I sit with you in the morning light.
You shade me from bright noonday.
You delight me with your jubilant
dignity beneath the vigilant spruce.
You dance with the wind, hum with
the bees, and sing love songs with
the finch. You preen seasonally in
hues of green, white, red, and brown.
Birds hide in your leafy bowers, bees
sip from your flowers, and wasps feed
drunkenly on the fermenting fruit you
untiringly shower on the ground.
Sweet and tart sauces we make from
your yearly fruit, freeze, then eat in
winter while you sleep in deep snow
that covers Mother Earth.
Rest well, my friend, for Spring has
come and soon the warm sun will run
life sprouting sap in your outstretched
arms, and all has begun again.
© Gerald Seniuk