Green Leaves On Trees Poem by Jan Oskar Hansen

Green leaves on trees

The tall carob trees that bear long oblong fruit
black as the hands of a Gambian, sweet as sight
of the snow-clad mountain reaching the blue sky
when lost for weeks in the African hinterland
flanked the asphalted lane meandering among
the trees that had massive crowns of thick leaves
cooling in the summer heat.
Sitting at the root of a tree seeing the lush grass
that still has pearls of morning tears on venation
a mild zephyr softly moved the tree leaves and
shadows and sunlight synced in perfect harmony
until soldier ants emerged, biting the intruder.