Red-belly
~A poem by Melissa Dowland, images by Mike Dunn
Down in my woods grows a graceful old oak
With a stout trunk and a crown of branches,
Splitting like feathers, reaching for the sky.
It has stood, thus, for centuries.
Nearby, a smaller maple.
Its crown lost in an ice storm,
A few broken branches strain upward
with peeling bark remaining, like something partially remembered.
Guess—
Which tree does the red-belly love?
Which tree do I?
Roads End Naturalist 
Love the poem and photos!
Thanks, Wendy.
Surely a crown lost is a cache gained! Lovely illustration of a poem.
Thanks, Beverly, I will pass that on to Melissa.
Lovely poem, and I guess she likes both trees!
I think you may be right. Thanks for the comment.