"The Apple Orchard" by Marjorie Laughlin

Three apple trees

in an old orchard,

in a field overgrown.

Gnarly, spindly, broken branches,

lichen topped like an ill-fitting toupee.

Summers of bounty,

seasons of neglect.

Only deer pick the fruit;

an occasional driver glances.

In their silhouettes, beauty,

memory in shadows,

witness to harvest.

Roots dug in—

struggle, to bear.