Noble Pine May God Save Thee

short poem written 13 year old boy published posthumously 2022

O Noble Pine

That thou art mine

I beseech thee and thy trees

To destroy all your enemies.

Most of all, let them not

Fell you down and let you rot.

If life is granted to thee and thy trees

Do not let them cut the know

of thy disease. 

And if they destroy thee and they limbs

May God Almighty destroy all of them. 

For you are certainly dear to me

You ancient, noble pine tree. 

Raymond Lee Collins, age 13

composed 1965

Belleville Illinois

raymondofthewoods

copyright reserved by the publisher, Carol A Wells

Author's Note

Note the photo is of the actual tree growing in an old family cemetery where the writer lived as a boy; note the tree and cemetery were subsequently taken down to make room for a cornfield