The old cherry tree knew the children who have now grown up, the swing that the winds and the rain took years to gnaw. The tree knew the chainsaw which bruised it just as much as it saved its life. The trunk becomes a little more hollow each year and the lichens slowly eat away at its once smooth and shiny skin. Under the ravages of time, the old cherry tree does not let its pain show. It offers an explosion of flowers in promise of its heavy, scarlet and sweet fruits.