Branch in Time
Hanging low a broken bough scrapes the forest floor
Keeping time with the wind, it sways like an open door
Appendage of the ancient wood, if only it could speak
Words with truths about the world, while hanging in the deep
Branch in time one mighty oak, 200 more of age
Leafless now it takes a bow, in the dying of its days
It lived more life than many, many may ever see
Just hanging there and being a part, the appendage of a tree
Solitary movements alone in darkened forest fair
Branch in time living life, without a moment’s care
Climbing ever higher through its life to see
All the other branches, all his family
Once strong and mighty, reaching for the sky
Years have taken its toll, to the ground to die
Time does pass, nothing last, futures all been cast
Branch in time is all we have, and time is moving fast
Ask yourself this question
Is the branch I’m on real strong?
Am I going through life righteously?
Or am I doing something wrong?
Cause the branch in time waits for no one
You only get one chance
To fill your life, your branch in time
With love and deep romance!
“Branch in time it lives, only for today
Tomorrow its leaves may all get swept away
So may your branch in time upon this world be bright
May all that you conquer, be honest, true, and right
Never wait until tomorrow, to fulfill your own free will
Always take today to live your life your way!”
Philip A. Zentz
As a young man, Philip A. Zentz worked summers on Martha’s Vineyard, commercial fishing out of Menemsha and building stone walls. A retired carpenter, cabinetmaker and schoolteacher, he now lives in East Bridgewater but often visits relatives here.