fifteen years ago three cherry trees already well into the process of dying
were doing the best they could during the final chapter of their lives
right in the center of where we wanted to build a deck in our tiny backyard.

i suppose it could have been easy to just remove them and be done with it,
however, ka-chi suggested we let the trees die in their own time.
waiting patiently for that to happen sounded perfect to me.

so i built the small cedar deck with a large hole cut out of the middle
allowing ample room for the tree folk to complete their hospice journey.
over the years the hollowed-out trunks became unable to
support the weight of the branches that had not been pruned
in quite a long time, perhaps ever.

each year since, i trimmed another major branch in order to minimize the damage
a falling tree might do to the nearby windows and door of our piano room,
always leaving several large perches uncut for the ravens and jays to land upon
whenever they stopped by to say hello in their own language.

and each year we were pleasantly surprised as the cherry blossoms
returned in the spring, albeit noticeably fewer as time went on.


for our patience we were rewarded by countless other visitations from the locals,
mostly winged ones, but also the four legged friends from the neighborhood
who found the tiny beetles, termites and
whatever else was living under the bark’s surface
to be a tasty appetizer to what they were able to forage that day.

and as if the plentiful food source was not enough, several of our flighty friends
dug out cozy cavities in each of the trunk stumps. they found these new holes
suitable for nesting and for sending their fledglings off to find
their own place in this wonderful world.

this morning it was a red-shafted flicker that came by to say hello
and to offer gratitude from the entire neighborhood community

all for something we didn’t do

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