Due to their quick growth rate and relatively low maintenance, the Mulberry Tree has been a popular addition to parks and yards. The once-widespread popularity of this shade tree led to mass planting. This helped families find a comfortable place in the shade for a family gathering or to simply sit and read. This also resulted in the production of large amounts of pollen. The pollen lazily floating through the air was enough to aggravate allergies and potentially trigger allergic reactions. Because of this, some states placed bans against planting mulberry decades ago to decrease allergen-related concerns. With no new Mulberry trees being planted in regions like mine, that means that the Mulberry Trees that are still standing are the last ones. These trees that have stood sentinel for years are now on their final watch. 

They stand long forgotten in parking lots enduring the menacing heat reflected off the surface of the asphalt their roots run under. Their roots must run deep drinking water from the earth itself, for no one tends to these trees. They grow haggard and wild in between office buildings and through chain-link fences. They must relish the carbon dioxide left by car exhausts waiting in the fast food lines nearby. They stood sentinel through drought, desert wind, and snow storm. 

Like all things that stand tall and forgotten, these lone sentinels deserve their rest. Though with no one to relieve them of their duty, they get no respite. They continue to stand. Forgotten and untended, they rot in place as their clipped branches still reach for the clouds.