The world is full of different trees
Though what makes one different from another
Is often subtle and obscure

Oaks for example are notoriously promiscuous
Quercus geminata and Quercus palustrus
Often exchanging their pollen

And the distinction is hard to draw
Between shrubs their foliage near the ground
And trees who lift their leaves on high

The decorative crepe myrtle
Nothing more than a burly shrub
Is often trimmed and trained to resemble tree

And even mighty magnolias and massive firs
Are sometimes shorn of their lower branches
To assure their bond with the arboreal tribe

And understanding or the wish to understand
Is quick with a binding to join together
Or a blade ruthlessly to put apart