Ask me how I learned to Be a Tree.
My children taught me
I needed to
I needed to
thrust my roots down deep,
stand steady and firm, a trunk
growing down
growing down
the middle of me. Yet
to keep my branches loose:
strong enough for leaning on, flexible
enough they did not break.
Ask me how I got so tired.
It is not just my challenging life
I lived. When you have children,
you live theirs right along with them,
lie awake at night, worrying,
help all you can.
Even the strongest trees
grow weary, and old,
and then become nurse logs
to support more life
when they die.
Even the strongest trees
grow weary, and old,
and then become nurse logs
to support more life
when they die.
Ask me how I grew more silent
through the years:
they had to find their way
themselves. The young can't hear us,
anyway.
Ask me what the trees have taught me:
to endure, to breathe peace,
to pray,
feet planted firmly on the earth,
to pray,
feet planted firmly on the earth,
arms reaching for the sky,
as year by year, my life
on Planet Earth
goes by.
as year by year, my life
on Planet Earth
goes by.
Ask me what the trees have taught me:
ReplyDeleteto endure, to breathe peace,
to pray,
feet planted firmly on the earth,
arms reaching for the sky: How beautiful is that thought, that harmony with the trees and all nature.
The trees and your children taught you some valuable lessons, Sherry. I think you have a point: The young don't often hear their elders. A fact of life!
ReplyDeleteWow! O, to be taught by trees! To become one, and live as one. This is a magnificent poem.
ReplyDeleteYes, mothers have to be like trees. 'Giving' is their only service and be prayerful all along. Another amazing poem, Sherry.
ReplyDeleteA sturdy tree with deep roots gives us the courage of our convictions and the confidence to keep our branches loose, Sherry. I agree with these lines:
ReplyDelete‘…When you have children,
you live theirs right along with them,
lie awake at night, worrying,
help all you can’
and
‘Ask me what the trees have taught me:
to endure, to breathe peace,
to pray,
feet planted firmly on the earth,
arms reaching for the sky’.
I like the way you write of how you have learnt valuable life lessons. I hope your tree self continues to flourish. Suzanne - Wayfaring blog - Wordpress
ReplyDeleteAnd what a fine tree you are - wise and true - Jae
ReplyDeleteHey Sherry, strong roots lead to flourishing foliage 😉
ReplyDeleteChildren need to find their way themselves....good parenting for their future survival....Rall
ReplyDeleteTrees are a most excellent model!
ReplyDeleteSherry as always a simple prompt becomes a tribute to language and imagery solid roots and fabulous foilage!
ReplyDelete(not anonymous, I'm Priscilla King, and I liked the poem)
ReplyDeleteTwo things--meeting two particularly nice young women yesterday, then watching a hateful video where someone encouraged young people to scream blame at older people for inflation--make me feel especially aware of a manufactured generation gap arising again.
Some people my age felt totally unable to relate to their parents. I was blessed; despite some quarrelling, my parents were two of my best grown-up friends. As a demographic group we got along well with "Generation X" (which, due to our tradition of late marriage, includes my sisters) and (was there a "Generation Y"? not in my family), but now we're hearing attempts to build a huge gap with what call themselves "Generation Z."
Hello? Do you know any baby-boomers who are completely out of touch with our GRANDchildren?!