A tall, elegant palm tree turned to the gnarled, twisted oak growing beside it in a mangrove swamp.

“Look at you…you are old, twisted and ugly..stand up straight, like me, and let people admire you.”

“See those dark clouds on the horizon yonder?”

yes

what do you think they betoken?

Ive never seen them before.

That is because you are still young. I howrver, have seen them many times before.

A few hours later, the palm tree lay dead upon the sand after the hurricane had swept along its course , …only a few old twisted, gnarled oaks and willows dotted the island..