Coup d'état

Yet another war story

The woods were a verdant emerald

Birds flitted through branches

Their song drifted through the air

Not a soul dares disturb this sanctum

One mighty oak rises above the rest

Monolithic it stands guarding the woods

Its roots spread out through the forest

breaking out of the ground a mile away

Legend says it is the spirit of a timeless warrior

Long ago he passed on, but his legacy remains

For he united his people against their foes

Still today his roots connect the trees

Over time, his roots have become shallow

The forest shelters his exposed foundation

They cannot exist separately

They must be in harmony

A shot rings out

The stagnant air begins to move

A gentle zephyr stirs the leaves

One falls to the ground

More shots are fired

The breeze grows in strength

More leaves fall

The gunfire rages far away

The breeze transforms into a mighty gale

Leaves are thrown about in the windstorm

They’re ripped from the tree while still green

The war rages on

A tree creaks as it falls

The gale has claimed its first victim

With that, the wind becomes stronger

Slowly, more trees hit the ground

Every impact strengthens the aggressor

Before long, half of the forest is gone

The mighty oak begins to sway

Artillery fire resounds, carried by the storm

The oak releases a final terrible groan

It plummets to the earth like a shot duck

All is quit for an instant

The ground quakes upon impact

Some trees become airborne, flung by the oak

Others are crushed underneath

The gunfire slows to silence

The wind ceases its onslaught

All is silent, but nothing is peaceful

A fire breaks out near the edge of the woods

The fallen trees succumb to the inferno

Soon, even the great oak is engulfed

The sky darkens with soot

The verdant green is replaced by crimson flame

Birdsong becomes crackling of the firestorm

Life is replaced by death

Nothing remains but ash

Time, the healer of all, begins to work

Rain comes and cleans the land

An elm sprout bursts through the ground

Life begins anew

Author's Note

I wrote this as a class assignment, as with my last writing. By all means, be honest and critical if you review this.

Reviews

[Luther Calvin]

Well written. Good job on the symbolism. The layers of meaning in this are impressive. Well done, and keep writing.