I Am A Tree
Strong and true, it stands there in the meadow
The mightiest of oaks
Its branches tall and mighty, growing high into the heavens
Its leaves green and vibrant, full of life, covering every inch of the tree
Its roots, unseen, grow down deep into an unseen water source
Roots growing further than the reach of its branches in the seen world.
This tree has stood the test of time, growing strong despite the winds and rain
While starting so small as the tiniest of seeds,
its roots sprouted and trunk formed, as year after year it grew taller and stronger
Circles upon circles of rings adding upon themselves, like marks on a fighters belt
Ticks marking off years of victory of growing strong
But unseen to any outside eye.
So much a tree has gone through, so much it has done to grow tall and strong
If someone stood there and looked at a tree for an afternoon
and from that, decided that the tree was doing a bad job because they saw no growth
That means they wouldn’t have understood the nature of a tree
Because a tree grows strong over the years, every day making small, incremental steps
Every day, its roots take in water and its leaves take in light
Nourishing it and supplying it with all that it needs.
What if a tree look at other plants, like a bush or a flower
What if it saw how a flower sprouts quickly, grows tall and mature, all in one season
Maybe it thought it was doing something wrong, as it grew its roots down deeper and its branches higher
No one could see its roots, the vast network it was working on in order to sustain the weight of how big it wanted to grow
No one saw what the tree was doing, how it was built for long term success
And if no one saw it, maybe the tree thought it was doing something wrong.
But a tree is a tree.
And I’m starting to realize I am a tree
Created to grow tall and strong, over the test of time
I am not an immediate result, nor am I a one time sprout
Many may not see that I am a tree and expect more out of me in each season
I may expect more from me when I look around to see others
But I am a tree.
And I will embrace that I am a tree.
