About four months ago,
I watched from my window 
as a newly-married couple 
posed in its shade. 
I remember smiling to myself 
as they smiled for the camera,
embracing in its embrace; 
sunlight dancing through 
the branches, 
on which new leaves were sprouting; 
a celebration of spring 
and new beginnings. 

A mere two weeks ago, 
it was resplendent in yellow; 
some leaves swayed 
in the noticeably crisper breeze 
while others fell to the ground 
without a sound 
like autumnal snow. 

And yet now, 
a stump is all that remains; 
the only reminder of what once was. 
The sun shines on it still, 
but there is no more shade;
no hint of a shadow. 

How easily we destroy 
what we didn't even create. 
How we teach the heart to forget 
the things we used to know, 
and leave them- dusty, 
stripped of meaning,
like unwanted items 
on the shelves of shops that no-one visits.