The Trees of the Ukraine

Timbers tall

Engage the sky

Grip the earth.

Rendering people,

Really small.

*

Thin trunks

Reach skywards

Sharply spiking

Piercing clouds.

A parting of the ways.

*

Majestic

Green and grey

Young, old

Strong.

*

But sometimes, rotten to the core.

Like despots

Fury-filled

Democratic demi-gods

hidden in plain view,

Waiting to invade.

*

Push boundaries.

Inflict exponential pain

For personal gain.

*

Trees can topple

Crippled, cancerous

Internal splintering.

No longer weight-bearing

They fall.

Silent in the forest.

*

Despots push boundaries,

Loudly.

Frighteningly violent.

They circle like vultures