Of 881 tree species native to the contiguous United States,
165 were threatened as of August 2022
I fear my grandson will not see
the lovely world trees gave to me
When he’s of age for climbing trees
he may not find the stately beech
His Fraser firs on Christmas Eve
all plastic and made overseas
He’ll bike down streets named Ash and Elm
whose canopies were overwhelmed
By untold woes his elders wrought
who couldn’t ever get enough
Old poems now feel like eulogies
to fallen gods and fallen trees
—
Since retiring from Prince George’s Community College in 2021, Dennis Huffman has volunteered as a “Weed Warrior” in the parks near his home. In 2023, he published Decolonizing the Park, a collection of poems and photographs about invasive plants. He is also a facilitator with the Center for Courage and Renewal. He lives in Takoma Park, MD.
