TIMBER!!!

This poem is for Joshua who is working for the Conservation Corps and cutting many trees with a chainsaw!

To Fall a Tree

The ability to fall a tree is a unique skill,

Once credited to a lumberjack, if you will,

The chainsaw has replaced the sharpened axe,

To Paul Bunyan and Blue, those are the facts,

For starters, the chain on the saw needs attention,

A round file on each cutting edge, with precision,

Leaves a nice sharpened chain with which to cut wood,

If it’s dull, it will take much longer than it should,

The number of links gives it just the right tension,

If it’s too tight, it will need an extension,

Then the oil is necessary to lubricate the bar,

If not, the cutting will not get very far,

Gloves, steel-toed boots, & a mask for the dust,  

Hardhat and earplugs:  safety gear is a must,

Gas in the tank and the choke is engaged,

The pull cord is yanked; the engine seems enraged,

Vroom, Vroom, VROOM:  the throttle is given a test,

This is the part that is considered the best,

Carefully approaching the trunk of the tree,

Then gently kneeling onto one knee,

A wedge is cut into the side of the direction of the fall,

Then slowly a final cut is made on the back side, while standing up tall,

The cracking noise is frightening to those who don’t know,

Just how fast it will fall – just how fast it will go,

The thud that it makes when the tree hits the ground,

The sheer magnitude of the fall is like no other sound,

The operator yells out the proverbial “timber” call,

As the tree is in the middle of its incredible fall

Tammy Harvey

Written:  9/4/2017