Ten acorns grew upon an oak,
so tall and green and leafy,
till one exclaimed, "I feel a chill.
I fear it's getting breezy."

Nine acorns clung to oak's strong limbs
as gusts of wind came blowing -
now one is lying on the ground
and only eight are growing.

Eight acorns tried to save themselves,
but when the storm had ended,
seven was the number left
on branches still suspended.

Seven acorns graced the tree
where hung a wooden swing.
When swinging rocked one acorn loose,
the others heard a ping.

Six acorns thought good luck was theirs,
surviving such a day,
but then they heard a frightful sound,
the squawking of a jay.

Five acorns thought they stood a chance
of staying in their tree,
but then a hungry squirrel said,
"That nut looks good to me."

Four acorns hanging from the oak
lived safely for a time,
but then some children shook the tree
when they began to climb.

Three acorns thought their chosen branch
was theirs and theirs alone,
but then one got evicted
when two robins built their home.

Two acorns huddled side by side
when winds picked up again -
till only one remained to count
where once there had been ten.

One acorn, with no friends in sight,
thought, "It's my time to go."
A squirrel snatched and buried him,
where soon a tree will grow.