Ode to a fallen tree

A tree once so tall and  mighty
stood proudly before our front door
its shade protected us from the summer sun
its leaves and branches calmed winter winds

Birds fed off its berries
entertaining us with their early song
in spring its buds turned into beautiful flowers
where people gathered to share their awe

A black cat which long ago adopted us
climbed its branches in search of prey
but usually settled into a comfortable perch
casting a sleepy eye over the world below

From behind its branches we could hear laughter
of children from across the way
playing on the grass below
just as our own children played so many years before

And then early one day
the morning of the Eve of Rosh Hashana
we heard a loud crack
and then silence, no birds chirping more

Looking out the front
the world had changed before our eyes
our proud mighty friend
had collapsed and died

Stretched out on the lawn before us
in a great heap of broken roots and branches
the birds had flown away
and the cat was nowhere to be found

Tipping our hats
and paying our last respect
the saw began to hum
as we slowly cut the limbs away

Working all morning
through a maze of twisted branches
and solid trunk
we carried the last remains to a new resting ground

But people still stop in awe
to gaze at where the majestic tree once stood
for in its absence
its space it still fills