**Title: A Shady Argument**

**Characters:**

1. **Oak** - The wise, older tree with a deep voice.

2. **Maple** - The younger, slightly impatient tree with a higher-pitched voice.

**Setting:**

A quiet park in the early morning. Birds chirp occasionally, but there’s a hint of city noise in the background: car horns, distant engines, and the occasional barking dog.

**Scene:**

**Oak**: (sighs heavily) Ah, just listen to it all, Maple. The constant roar of those engines, the honking, the shouting. I remember when the loudest thing in this park was a woodpecker.

**Maple**: (groaning) Tell me about it. I barely slept a wink last night. And it’s not just noise, Oak — there’s all this filthy air clogging up my leaves! Sometimes I can’t even breathe right. I’m choking on exhaust!

**Oak**: (nods solemnly) It’s not like the old days, that’s for sure. The air was crisp, clean… even the soil felt healthier back then. Now I feel like my roots are in a trash heap half the time. And don’t get me started on the heat these days. It’s only spring, and I feel like I’m roasting.

**Maple**: Oh, you’re not wrong. I’m already shedding leaves in protest! But do humans care? Nope. They’re too busy rushing around, blaring their music, throwing litter around. And do they ever stop and think about us?

**Oak**: Ha! I think they see us as nothing more than oversized coat racks. Or worse, dog toilets. (pauses, annoyed) Just yesterday, I had to suffer through a line of dogs — one after another, right on my trunk! No respect.

**Maple**: I feel you! I lost count of how many times I’ve been “watered” by a dog. And they’re yanking on my low branches while their humans barely pay attention. Do you know how hard I work to grow these branches?

**Oak**: Oh, I know. (chuckles dryly) And then, there’s the wind. These storms get fiercer every year. Last week, I lost three good branches to that gust — snapped clean off. And I was sure they’d make it through another season.

**Maple**: Exactly! Just last night, one of my newer branches went tumbling. It’s like Mother Nature herself is angry, stirring up stronger winds, making everything harder for us to hold on.

**Oak**: You might be right there, Maple. I think the climate is changing — I can feel it in my rings. Summers are hotter, winters barely give us a chill, and storms come through angrier than ever. We used to get time to rest. Now, it’s like we’re constantly under attack.

**Maple**: (sighs) We’re rooted here, Oak, and all we want is to grow in peace. But with the way things are going… (pauses) Will we even last another few decades?

**Oak**: (after a thoughtful pause) We have to hope, Maple. Even if humans don’t always see us, some of them care. I see them planting saplings, picking up litter. Maybe if enough of them pay attention, things will change. After all, we’re not just here for shade — we’re here to remind them of patience, of strength.

**Maple**: (a little brighter) You know, I hope you’re right. Maybe if we keep standing strong, they’ll start listening. Even the noisy ones.

**Oak**: (with a chuckle) And maybe they’ll give the dogs another place to “water,” too.

**(They both laugh softly as the sun starts to rise, casting a warm glow over the park.)**

**End Scene.**