Fruit of the Fields   
    ____________

Cast and born of the wind,
  naught be guaranteed.
Least ye pursue the mastery
  of the enduring Apple seed.

Befallen to barren fields,
  surrounded by shallow root.
The seed springs forth in splendor
  to offer its nourishing fruit.

Genus of the Rose it is
  this sweet seed of the earth.
Boring its soul into fertile ground,
  yielding substance, value, and worth.

When winds howl and whistle
  causing the limbs to sway,
The tree drops an Apple,
  for the stranger on his way.

When sun and wind hath taken its toll
  and the tree no longer yields.
It raises its broken arms in praise
  to rejoice o’er Fruit of the Fields.

Cast and born of the wind,
  naught be guaranteed.
Least ye pursue the mastery
  of the enduring Apple seed.

Barnum Taylor © 1998