Under the big magnolia tree
My dad was playing catch with me
One pitch too high and the ball disappeared!
Lost in the leaves or so I did fear.
He tossed his glove into the air but
It got caught on a branch and it stayed right there.
My sister saw and threw her doll really high
But the greedy tree grabbed it first from the sky.
Then Mommy heard and flipped up her shoe
But the selfish tree saw her and caught that one too.
The mailman bowed and doffed his blue cap
Then threw it real hard, it got stuck in the sap!
A dog dashed over to fetch his own disc
Growled and barked loud when he lost it in the midst.
A bird watcher flung, then knitted her brow
When she saw her binocs hooked on a bough.
Sweet Mrs. McGregor and her cane had a mission
But the tree played her stick like a skilled jazz musician.
We all stood there gaping, with amazement and wonder
As the tree swayed with glee from the weight it was under.
Then a squirrel whose nest was hit in the shuffle
Scuttled by eagerly, amidst the kerfuffle
Down came the cane, the specs and the doll
The cap, the shoe, the disc started to fall
The baseball and glove were finally retrieved
From the impish, grasping magnolia tree
The neighbors turned around and started away
But I snuck one last glance at the game we’d just played
All of a sudden, as we thought all was done
Came scurrying down a grand old opossum!
Above him flew a charm of songbirds aplenty
as quails and squirrels yapped over the fallen bounty
And, as if by magic, a deer pranced through the yard
While wild turkeys encircled the trunk beetles had scarred
“You’re welcome!” I cried full of wonder and glee
As I knew all at once that their home was my tree!
With its bark and hollow caves, its twisty branches dance and wave!
Leaves dazzle emerald green and flowers bloom, oh so keen!
My yard was a haven of so much wildlife to see
As we shared fun and games, thanks to our great Magnolia Tree