[Becky]

For Marie

When I pass to my reward.
Whatever that may be,
I'd like my friends to think of me
As one who loved a tree.

I may not have a statesman's poise
Nor thrill a throng with speech
But I may benefit mankind
If I set out a beech.
If I transport a sapling oak
To rear its mighty head
Twill make for them a childhood shrine,
That will not soon decay.
Of if I plant a tree with fruit,
On which the birds may feed,
Then I have fostered feathered friends
And that's a worthy deed.
For winter when the days grow short
And spirits may run low
I'd plant a pine upon the scape
T'would lend a cheery glow.
I'd like a tree to mark the spot
Where I am laid to rest
For that would be the epitaph
That I would like the best. Tho it's not carved upon a stone
For those who come to see
But friends would know that resting there
Is he, who loved a tree
-- Samuel N. Baxter