Nature Class 101
By Jim Yerman
Nature has so much to teach us but her methods are subtle for she knows
if wisdom is from knowledge to be grown…
her students, with her urging, must discover the answers on their own.
That’s why she’s planted upon her Earth…on a variety of lands across her seven seas
from Andorra to Zimbabwe…an assortment…a multitude of trees.
Walk among her trees and quickly you will see…
though all her trees are different they form a symbiotic symmetry.
Trees of different sizes, shapes and colors inherently understand
how they must work together to get the most out of the land.
You’ll see trees that lose their leaves in Fall…whose branches are stripped clean
standing together…side-by-side…next to evergreens
You’ll see after the leaves fall…having gently cascaded to the ground
how they eventually they become the food that feeds every tree around.
You’ll see how nature achieves a balance…here’s exactly what I mean…
as the animals that live among the trees in spring and summer
find a winter home among the evergreens.
You’ll see when one tree begins to falter no matter how wide or tall…
the nearby trees find a way to catch her…or, at least, to ease her fall.
You’ll see every type of tree whether they produce nuts or syrup or fruits
communicate as one family…you might say…it goes down to their roots.
There is a one crucial problem, however, as everyday to these lessons she returns….
Nature is willing to teach us…
but we must be willing to learn