Desert Ash

Who knows what this tree is,
Really? One family
Lived for years with a pair,

One a careful planting,
Already near mature.
The other volunteered,

A spindly, silver-barked
Sapling that just appeared
Out of a hedge one year.

The intruder they let
Grow through several winters,
Until they decided

It looked weird and sawed it
Off just above the ground.
It didn’t belong there.

The nursery transplant
They admired for its shade,
How it thrived in the heat,

Kept its leaves late, and shed
Them all in one neat heap
In a week, every year.

One day, a visitor
Encouraged them to see
Just what kind of a tree

They had there. Desert ash,
They concluded, after
Consulting some software.