A Tree I Once Knew

A lone tree once grew on a cliff
In a time of great fire
It watched the forests burn
As it grew higher and higher

It turned away to the ocean
Away from the other burning trees
But now and again it sensed
The smell of smoke on the breeze

As it grew it was twisted
Bent crooked by the wind
Until to it one day a notice
Warning of erosion was pinned

One day misshapen it fell
Its sanctuary reclaimed by the sea
And the tree didn’t mind
Because it was only a tree