These trees.
They were once a canopy fit for royalty.
You could feel safe and secure
under their lush
and leafy branches.
And now,
what are they?

These trees.
They were once used for reading.
You could rest your tired back
against their smooth wood
and feel comfort.
And now,
what are they?

These trees.
They were once used as tools
in acts of child’s play,
with children happily hiding
behind their strong trunks
without knowing
of the horrors these trees would await.
What they are now?

They are nothing.
Lifeless stumps of wood,
with streaks of paint and rust
engraved into their ringed body.

They were once fit for royalty,
pleasurable to lean upon,
and utilized by naïve little children.
And now,
look,
at what they are.
They were once trees.