Photo: Wikimedia Commons, a great photo of a cottonwood tree

Cottonwoods & Barbed-Wire Fences

A Story From My Childhood

We rode one day to Grandma’s house
From Phoenix with our dad
The station wagon, filled with kids
To Snowflake we were bound

En route, my father had to stop
Fatigue was setting in
He’d been up late the night before
His blood was running thin

Pulled over and parked under a tree
A cottonwood with leaves of green
Proceeded to lay his head to rest
We kids got out to play

Beside the road a barbed wire fence
The cottonwood gave shade
A respite from Arizona heat
An adventure for the brave

So up they climbed, my siblings
One 10, the other 12
Competing to get to the top
Unaware which dangers, they did delve

Up they went, scrambling free
A lizard appeared above
The climb had now become a hunt
Of reptile, their pursuit of