Ranger Jason Guidry and Don Schneider pictured with the largest red mulberry tree in North Carolina. Schneider owns the tree and received a certificate from North Carolina Big Tree Program in 2012 for his outstanding tree. (Photo, courtesy of CLAY COUNTY PROGRESS).
A special tree,
you tower above the forest,
catching sunlight with
heart-shaped leaves.
More than an ornament,
you amaze our state
with your unusual size
and grace a century.
You lift a 69-foot crown,
toss your hair in the clouds,
offering milky white sap,
and cradle baby birds.
You hold a piece of history
in your wrinkled hands:
windstorms, fires, floods.
Your feet cleave to Clay County.
--Brenda Kay Ledford
Don Schneider lives off Tusquittee Road in Hayesville, NC in a historic home built by Captain Moore during the Civil War. His majestic mulberry tree is located behind his home.
3 comments:
Wow, that is awesome Brenda. I congratulate him on this award. Love your poem. Your writing always amazes me. Hope you and your mother are doing good and enjoying the beautiful weather..
What a magnificent old tree! It has seen a lot over the years. Your poem captured it perfectly, Brenda.
What a lovely poem. . . and a fascinating tree.
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