Lake Lure Classical Academy Readings from Arbor Day 2025
Trees by Joyce Kilmer ~35 secs (Ally McBrayer):
I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.
A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the earth's sweet flowing breast;
A tree that looks at God all day,
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;
A tree that may in summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;
Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain.
Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree.
Orpheus by William Shakespeare ~30 secs (Davis Young):
Orpheus with his lute made trees
And the mountain tops that freeze
Bow themselves when he did sing:
To his music plants and flowers
Ever sprung; as sun and showers
There had made a lasting spring.
Every thing that heard him play,
Even the billows of the sea,
Hung their heads and then lay by.
In sweet music is such art,
Killing care and grief of heart
Fall asleep, or hearing, die.
Loveliest of Trees by A. E. Housman ~30 secs (Marcy Kunes):
Loveliest of trees, the cherry now
Is hung with bloom along the bough,
And stands about the woodland ride
Wearing white for Eastertide.
Now, of my threescore years and ten,
Twenty will not come again,
And take from seventy springs a score,
It only leaves me fifty more.
And since to look at things in bloom
Fifty springs are little room,
About the woodlands I will go
To see the cherry hung with snow.
The Poet Tree by Shel Silverstein ~25 secs (Teagan Hughes)
Underneath the poet tree,
Come and rest awhile with me,
And watch the way the word-web weaves
Between the shady story leaves.
The branches of the poet tree
Reach from the mountains to the sea.
So come and dream, or come and climb –
Just don’t get hit by falling rhymes.
An Apple Gathering by Christinia Rossetti ~1 min 30 (Colby Calhoun):
I plucked pink blossoms from mine apple-tree
And wore them all that evening in my hair:
Then in due season when I went to see
I found no apples there.
With dangling basket all along the grass
As I had come I went the selfsame track:
My neighbours mocked me while they saw me pass
So empty-handed back.
Lilian and Lilias smiled in trudging by,
Their heaped-up basket teased me like a jeer;
Sweet-voiced they sang beneath the sunset sky,
Their mother's home was near.
Plump Gertrude passed me with her basket full,
A stronger hand than hers helped it along;
A voice talked with her through the shadows cool
More sweet to me than song.
Ah Willie, Willie, was my love less worth
Than apples with their green leaves piled above?
I counted rosiest apples on the earth
Of far less worth than love.
So once it was with me you stooped to talk
Laughing and listening in this very lane:
To think that by this way we used to walk
We shall not walk again!
I let me neighbours pass me, ones and twos
And groups; the latest said the night grew chill,
And hastened: but I loitered, while the dews
Fell fast I loitered still.
Go Plant A Tree by Ella Wheeler Wilcox ~1 min 30 (Paige Harper)
God, what a joy it is to plant a tree,
And from the sallow earth to watch it rise,
Lifting its emerald branches to the skies
In silent adoration; and to see
Its strength and glory waxing with each spring.
Yes, ’tis a goodly, and a gladsome thing
To plant a tree.
Nature has many marvels; but a tree
Seems more than marvellous. It is divine.
So generous, so tender, so benign.
Not garrulous like the rivers; and yet free
In pleasant converse with the winds and birds;
Oh! privilege beyond explaining words,
To plant a tree.
Rocks are majestic; but, unlike a tree,
They stand aloof, and silent. In the roar
Of ocean billows breaking on the shore
There sounds the voice of turmoil. But a tree
Speaks ever of companionship and rest.
Yea, of all righteous acts, this, this is best,
To plant a tree.
There is an oak (oh! how I love that tree)
Which has been thriving for a hundred years;
Each day I send my blessing through the spheres
To one who gave this triple boon to me,
Of growing beauty, singing birds, and shade.
Wouldst thou win laurels that shall never fade?
When Autumn Came by Faiz Ahmed Faiz ~50 secs (Evan Baird):
This is the way that autumn came to the trees:
it stripped them down to the skin,
left their ebony bodies naked.
It shook out their hearts, the yellow leaves,
scattered them over the ground.
Anyone could trample them out of shape
undisturbed by a single moan of protest.
The birds that herald dreams
were exiled from their song,
each voice torn out of its throat.
They dropped into the dust
even before the hunter strung his bow.
Oh, God of May have mercy.
Bless these withered bodies
with the passion of your resurrection;
make their dead veins flow with blood again.
Give some tree the gift of green again.
Let one bird sing.
TREES OF THE FRAGRANT FOREST
ALL:
Trees of the fragrant forest,
With leaves of green unfurled,
Through summer’s heat, through winter’s cold What do you do for our world?
FIRST: (teagan hughes)
Our green leaves catch the raindrops That fall with soothing sound,
Then drop them slowly, slowly down; ‘Tis better for the ground.
SECOND: (tehya wilson)
When, rushing down the hillside,
A mighty freshet foams,
Our giant trunks and spreading roots Defend your happy homes.
THIRD: (anna sias)
From burning heat in summer
We offer cool retreat,
Protect the land in winter’s storm,
From cold, and wind, and sleet.
FOURTH: (colby calhoun)
Our falling leaves in autumn,
By breezes turned and tossed,
Will rake a deep sponge-carpet warm, Which saves the ground from frost.
FIFTH: (theo smith)
We give you pulp for paper,
Our fuel gives you heat;
We furnish lumber for your homes, And nuts and fruit to eat.
SIXTH: (lilah pace)
With strong and graceful outline,
With branches green and bare,
We fill the land through all the year, With beauty everywhere.
ALL:
So listen! From the forest
Each one a message sends
To children on this Arbor Day:
‘’We trees are your best friends!”
Arbor Day - Author Unknown(Natalie Smith) :
On Arbor Day
We honor trees,
Green giants
Swaying in the breeze
Our life and health
They enhance
More than realized
At first glance
Through photosynthesis
They grow
Extra oxygen
They let go
A word from latin
Long ago,
Arbor means tree
A fact to know
Trees have commercial
Uses, too
Books and mulch
Are just a few
Lumber, shingles, baseball bats
Kitty litter for your cats
Desks and drawers
Tables, chairs,
Wooden houses,
Wooden stairs
Original Work by Anna Sias and Paige Harper
By definition, Arbor day is a day to plant trees, to celebrate. But, more than that, it’s about growth–It’s about planting something today that will stand stronger tomorrow.
The town of Lake Lure is like a willow tree: it may bend, but no matter how strong the wind, it will never break.
Hurricane Helene hit 7 months ago. I still remember waking up that day. It felt just like any other day. I got up, went to school, and came back home on the bus. Same as always. I didn’t know then how severe the storm would be. I didn’t know how fast it could change everything.
Those days after the storm, I saw so many terrible things, fallen trees, crushed homes, crumbling roads, but in the dark one thing stood out- community.
In time of need the town came together, working tirelessly to recreate what was lost. To rebuild it. To grow.
Our buildings may crumble and our spirits may falter but one thing will never break- our roots.
Thank a Tree Today- Original Monologue by Zoey Harper
When was the last time you stopped and thanked a tree? “Why would I have to thank a tree, that’s just absurd!” True, but when you stop and truly think about it, why wouldn’t you want to? Certain trees, such as apples or oranges, produce food for us to eat. Others give us the chance to see beautiful blossoms sprout from their branches to admire, keep, or even give away to a loved one. Normal trees that don’t do anything at all even have a purpose to serve, such as giving earth and its creatures fresh air to breath, providing shelter for squirrels and rabbits in the winter, or casting a mighty shadow to grant relief on a hot sunny day. So remember, the next time you see a tree, make sure to stop and thank that tree today.
Arbor Day Monologue - Author Unknown (Lilliana Adams):
Have you ever stopped to truly look at a tree? Not just see it, but really look? See how each branch, each leaf, is unique? How they reach up towards the sky, like silent prayers? They're not just standing there, they're breathing, living, growing.
Arbor Day is a reminder that we're part of this incredible, interconnected world. It's a chance to reconnect with the earth, with the beauty that surrounds us. And what better way to celebrate than by planting a tree, a symbol of hope, of growth, of the future? Let's make our world a little greener, a little brighter, one tree at a time.
Excerpt from America’s Choice for a National Tree by Todd Whitman (Noah Dawkins):
Planting a tree is a real statement of faith in the future.
A tree like this will take decades to reach maturity.
Our children and theirs will be the ones who will, one day, see this tree standing proud and tall among the many historic trees that ornament the Capitol grounds.
They will enjoy its shade, appreciate its beauty, and perhaps, now and again, pause to remember those who planted this tree.
Excerpt from America’s Choice for a National Tree by Todd Whitman (Finny White):
We admire oak trees for their strength, their beauty, and their endurance.
That’s why I believe the oak is a truly fitting symbol of our Nation.
From modest beginnings, the United States has grown to become the greatest, freest nation in the history of the world.
Each of us has the responsibility to be a good steward of our environment.
Each of us has a role to play, a job to do, an obligation to which we must be true.
This is just the beginning – but it’s a good, strong beginning.
