so she could plant a tree;
I thought one day to rest in the shade
'neath tree, just her and me
She planted the seed, upon watch we sat
the weeks we waited flew;
But forgetting each other in search of new growth
no tree there ever grew
Years passed, we kept in touch
from time to time I'd ask her
if ever the earth there gave way to limb
and bore either fruit or flower
Always her answer was the same:
the barren ground remained so;
And alas my love, in anticipation of bloom
had also withered long ago
There came a period many years long
when we spoke not at all;
I often wondered why that tree
had failed to grow strong and tall
One day in my golden years
I heard a story from afar
of a tree that had grown out of nowhere, it seemed
and bore apples, but was a poplar!
I journeyed off to seek it
and found it growing in a spot
that seemed familiar to me somehow
though place it I could not
And suddenly I saw a figure
slender, frail, but dear to me;
It seemed my love had also traveled
far and wide, to find this tree
"Remember, darling, do you,
when we planted this little seed?"
Her eyes twinkled as she took my hand
toward our tree did our feet speed
The lines on her face melted away
and once again we were young;
Now I understood that our song had been written
but had never once been sung
My love lived with me ten years more
until death took her from me;
But I know that when my time too comes
she'll be waiting for me, under our tree.
