Of those in the forest, which one’s the best?

Is it the lion,
Brave and strong,
In pompous show
All the day long?

Or maybe the leopard,
Beautifully dressed,
Happily unmoving
From his place of rest?

Perhaps the bear
With but one wish,
Roaming about
to hunt and to fish?

Or is the deer more apt,
With antlers lush,
Quiet and nimble,
As he moves through the brush?

Well all those creatures are fine as can be,
But none could best the noble tree.

Give me the tree,
Gnarly as he,
A shelter from storms that may come in the night,
His branches the start
From which dreams take flight.

—

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