Friday, October 21, 2011

The Tale of the Oaknoll Oak

by Willa Jones

A resident saw it
Out there in the Oak.
A dark mass of something,
Was it a joke?

She called in her neighbor
To look in the oak.
What is that big blob?
Or is it a joke?

"No," said her neighbor.
"That's no joke in your oak.
I think it's a turkey
Asleep on that limb,
It may be about time
To awaken him."

From under a bush
Came a hen turkey then
With chattering poults
Numbered One to Ten
One scratched here,
Six over there,
Five and Eight argued
They wouldn't share.

The blob shook awake
And looked down from the limb,
That racket on the ground
Was bothering him.

"What's going on?" he called from the oak.
"Come down here and help," yelled his wife.
"These kids are no joke."

Big wings flopped him down.
He'd straighten them out.
With face red, feet stomping,
He began to shout.

The poults didn't listen
They were scratching around
All over the place.
Three and Ten had a race
To get the same bug.

One and Two over there
Found a big slug.

They were having such fun
In their new atmosphere.
The grass was for scratching
They couldn't hear.

From the window the residents
Looked down on the drama,
While big old Dad Turkey
And old Turkey Mana,
Looked on in amazement,
As their poults One through Ten
Fed themselves joyfully and then
Ran under the bush for a quick little rest,
Mama went after, she'd done her best.

Big old Dad Turkey
Flew into the oak
To become the dark blob
He was no joke.

Friday, October 7, 2011

Oaknoll Trees

by Loren Horton

A maple tree
Stands proudly in the yard
Right next to a ginkgo tree

By late September
The maple tree sports colored leaves
Bright red, orange, yellow
The ginkgo tree is still green
And shows a reserved façade

The two tree neighbors
Present a vivid contrast----
Each in its own way
Demonstrates nature's beauty
We are glad to have variety
To ease our eyes and hearts

All too soon there will be change
And we will see naked branches
Starkly grey against winter snow