The Inka Trees

The inka trees
sway in the breeze
the stars upon them grow
but what an inka tree looks like
I guess we'll never know

the very last, with golden leaves
silver limbs, those slender tress,
the very last was lost to me
a long long time ago

there was a time
not recently
when you could CLIMB an inka tree
climb all the way up to the top
to snatch the stars before they dropped.

Silently in winter
the trees would wait for light
solemnly and patiently
they'd host that longest night

with subtle love and industry
devotion care and skill
springtime whispered life into
the trees on Inka Hill

the black bark blossomed silver
and the buds a golden sheen
the night no longer desolate
no dark sky to be seen

the Inka trees sang softly
on their hill and in the wind
even their trembling blossoms
sometimes liked to chime in.

One night a sound disturbed the peaceful
hum among the Inka Trees
persistent anxious buzzing
broke branches and shook leaves

roots were rudely shoved aside
by buzzing angry silver weeds
and something deep inside us died
and something in the inka trees.

the gold it faded gracefully
into a tarnished silver hue
the humming faded gradually
silence is what it turned into

the silver bark turned black for good
as dark vines grew and shook
on inka hill the grey trees stood
as grey weeds overtook

the silence turned from music
turned to weeping in it's stead
the diamond tears cascading
from the sky into our heads.

The inka trees
wept silently
as endless winter claimed them
consumed by giant sweeping weeds
and clouds to entertain them

the leaves fell off into the night
to light the tragic sky
now every night the stars come out
and sparkle as they cry.

The inka trees
who used to sway
so gently in the wind
were conquered by the deadly vines
who left nothing to defend.

The very last
with golden leaves
silver limbs, those shining trees
the very last was lost to me
when we forgot how to believe.

So when you look into the sky
and see the stars and wonder why
they never change and rarely fly
remember all the inka trees
that used to sway
sway in the breeze.