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Classic and Contemporary Poetry


THE BUTTONWOOD by CHARLES JOSEPH RIDER

First Line: OLD TREE, BENEATH WHOSE CANOPY I'VE LAIN'
Last Line: MAY YOU LIVE ON, UNHARMED, FOREVERMORE.
Subject(s): TREES;

Old tree, beneath whose canopy I've lain
Well sheltered from the blaze of noonday sun,
Or found a refuge from a pelting rain,
And lingered near you when my work was done,
You were a friend to man before my time.
Indian children played among your leaves
When first I saw you, and I watched them climb
Along the limbs they swung as a trapeze.
And then, when past my prime, I journeyed far
To visit you, my aged father cried
As he retold events. How singular!
Under these boughs his dearest brother died.
Old tree, to peace of mind contributor,
May you live on, unharmed, forevermore.



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