Upright

The sea could break my back
With the wind it heaves
Against the gloomy pines
Pleading there for clemency.
They would leave if they could.
There’s no peace in living to resist,
Acquiescing in obeisance,
Bereft of their inborn pride.
But this is all they know.
To stand reaching,
Upright and sure. They reach
Until they fall or burn
In fires struck by careless men,
And will the sea be happy then?