The Parable of the Pastor and the Tree

[ellyssian]

The Parable of the Pastor and the Tree
July 17, 2005

O, for a parking lot!
cried he,
That my flock
might grow!
That it may be
Accessible
to unfortunate souls!
A handful of spaces,
but, oh, to speak of the
Convenience!
And what of this tree,
it is of the nasty sort,
and has leaves that drop!
Smite thee,
foul thing,
more ancient than
the settlement itself!
But kind, generous
soul am I,
and for $70,000
I shall spare it,
should the community
wish it -
it gives nothing to me,
for I am not of Humanity
and breathe not the air it cleans.

The tree,
for its part,
unmoved,
awaits in silence
for the little ape
to speak, or act,
or fade away;
for like the pastor's god,
it only grows and ages,
and worries not for money,
or fame,
or infamy,
or desire,
or parking lots,
or axes,
or chainsaws,
or other Dark Arts.

Copyright (c) 2005 Everett Ambrose Warren