The Mighty Oak

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The Mighty Oak

by Julie Curtiss Voss

Look out your window, over the fence--there in the field. Do you see me? I am the oak tree, the mightiest tree in the park.

Today is a fine autumn day. Autumn is my favorite time of year. My leaves are as beautiful as a rainbow. And hidden in my leaves are hundreds of acorns still wearing their caps. Animals are busy in my branches, getting ready for the winter. Birds come and eat my acorns and carry them away. A squirrel family has made a cozy nest between two of my sturdy branches. My branches cover them like a big umbrella.

Last night, winds howled through my branches and blew away most of my leaves. Soon, my branches will be bare, and I will be ready for winter. During the wintertime, it will rain for many days, and sometimes the winds will be fierce. When I was just a small sapling with only two or three leaves, I used to worry about the storms. I thought the winds might blow me away. Then, I would think hard about making my roots deep and strong. Those roots held me fast through many storms. Now that I am a sturdy oak tree, I enjoy the feeling of the wind rushing through my bare branches. Even the thunder and lightning storms do not scare me.

During my winter rest, when I stand quietly, I am getting ready for spring, when my animal friends will return. Tiny, green leaves are tightly curled up on my branches. One day, when the sun shines warm on my branches, the baby leaves start to uncurl. Soon, my branches look like they are covered with a soft, green fuzz. Then, my flowers start to shoot out. On spring days, the air is full of a yellow dust that helps my acorns to grow.

Then, almost before you notice, summer is here again. In the summertime, my branches are covered with big, green leaves. Birds fly into my arms, and children play at my feet. They feel safe under my shady branches.

The days are long and lazy. I tower over the other trees and look out far in the clear blue skies. I think about the long years I have stood in this place and the many happy years to come. Soon it will be autumn again--my favorite time of year.