Farm Tree

Thomas Hemminger

June 7, 2026

An ancient post oak 

guards a one-time homestead, 

hidden root-cellar, 

and bricked-up cistern. 

The gnarled trunk 

sturdy, yet scarred from 

years of Windom’s weathering

and claws that scratch and climb, 

is stronger than it ever was. 

The boughs stretched high

into the Texas sky,

shelter sparrows and wrens, 

and the kildeer nests 

in the shaded prairie grass below. 

The wind-blown bass chimes 

hanging from the branches, 

make the clouds our cathedral,

and turn farm fields to hallowed halls. 

Thomas Hemminger is an elementary music teacher living in Dallas, Texas. His work has been published locally in Dallas, as well as in The Wilda Morris Poetry Challenge, Texas Poetry Assignment, and The Poetry Catalog. His personal hero is Mr. Fred Rogers, the creator of Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood. It was through America’s favorite “neighbor” that Thomas learned of the importance of loving others, and of giving them their own space and grace to grow.