In winter trees are uninviting
Bare branches in snow and hail
Old trees that hold no secrets
In summer tell a different tale
Returning swallows across the sky
Swoop down with whirring wings
Starlings are in the shadow
On high boughs the blackbird sings
In winter gardens are deserted
We need only to wait and see
Unfolding for us natures miracle
The beauty and life of the tree.
SHEILA BRENNAN, Bombay Street, Blackburn.