A Bolt of Lightning

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 A Bolt of Lightning


A bolt of lightning

Our old oak is hit

Just a few feet from our house

Soaking wet, it did not catch fire

But ripped off a spiral of bark from crown to ground

Perhaps boiled the sap from within to pop the bark

Killed a rabbit dead at its base

A loud report like a cannon shot

Knocked things off shelves

And startled me where I sat


Some things to think over

A valuable oak

Quite a few board feet in it, and in the one next to it

If nothing else, a few tons of firewood

And, with climate change, more super storms to come

Perhaps a lesson: take them down before they take our house down
 

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