Broken branch on forest floor <br />And hanging on the tree no more, <br />All tangled twisted overgrown <br />It now remains forever prone, <br />The broken branch a solemn sight <br />Split on one November's night, <br />When the wind was cruel and strong <br />And gales were gusting for so long. <br /> <br />And now the moss and fungi grow <br />The branch remains as seasons go, <br />And coiled in ivy winding weaves <br />While resting on a bed of leaves, <br />Its brittle twigs do make a perch <br />For all the woodland birds that search, <br />For grubs and insects on the ground <br />Upon this branch they too are found. <br /> <br />Cloaked by nettles fern and weed <br />Upon this branch the woodlice feed, <br />While worms and beetles bore away <br />It soon will crumble with decay, <br />The broken branch will be no more <br />No longer lying on the floor, <br />So many years since it did fall <br />Yet so much life it gave to all.<br /><br />ANDREW BLAKEMORE<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/broken-branch/
