An Abandoned Orchard In Spring Poem by Raymond Farrell

In the air there is a hint of Spring
(Not to be confused with the real thing)
Here the ravages of neglect are everywhere
An orchard now desperately in need of care
No one left to grieve for all that lost
Or fully comprehend the cost
Only those that toiled to make it grow
Can truly grieve or really know.

But I could see what once was here
Order had preceded chaos that was clear.

What once was a fence is hard to find
Just a few rotting posts are left behind
In the middle stood a pile of rotting debris
Bits drifted aimlessly as far as the eye could see
An overgrowth of burdock and prickly ash
Served to catch the drifting trash.

No trees were pruned, broken limbs lay scattered everywhere
A sorry mess but not beyond repair.

For the damage and piles of debris
It was evident to someone untrained like me
That life was here and would not be denied
Broken limbs and all, death would be defied
For tiny buds were visible to the naked eye
Perhaps, these trees should, but they refused to die
And so it is, even in the womb of despair
When the worst is suspected, hope is there.