Time frozen in motion--
From a photograph,
Paint a picture,
Compose a backstory
By adding color to
Saturate perception.

Brittle bark crumbles
At the most minute
Bend; a tree sways at
The slightest breeze,
Uneasily creaks.

An arborist determines
That pruning the crown,
Clipping the canopy,
Blunting the branches
Will not resolve the
Overarching stability
Issue, which is failing
Structurally.

A felling is the decision,
Given the burgeoning
Proximity is about to
Extend beyond the
Property limit; a
Truncation at the torso
Is the mission, given
That the iron hoop fence
Indicating the border
Between the yard and
Pavement is about to be
Uprooted.

After the calculated
Subtraction, what remains
Is a truth to the materials
Garnished with a chaotic
Garland of ivy, weedy
Leaves, and blue wild
Berries.

The oak, once considered
A threat, is presently a stump
Rendered as a century's
Old remembrance, is
Almost unnoticed if not
For the shadow cast and
The concentration of light
Foregrounding the phantom
Contrast of moods:

The comings and goings
Of fabulation, compulsions
Recognized by the pedestrian.