The Tree

The Tree

A tiny seed is

Planted in the dense soil

And I wonder,

‘How can something living rise

From something so…

Lifeless?’

But I watch as a sapling buds up

Out of the ground

And I care for it

Giving it all it needs

And watch as it grows taller

Into a large, majestic tree.

 

I gaze upon its beautiful white flowers

And almost-ripe fruit one late-spring morning

And think about how much it’s grown

From that little seed

And I realize something:

‘This tree started so small

And it grew into something

Huge.

It doesn’t matter

How humble our beginnings

We all have the potential

To grow into something

Larger than life.’

 

So I kept

Taking care of it

Soon the fruit ripened and

Fell to the ground.

One hot summer evening

I was collecting the last

Of the decadent fruit

From where it lay on the dirt floor

And I realized something:

‘I have given this tree so much

And now it’s given back

All it can.

If I had neglected to care for it,

I would never have gotten this fruit.

Give,

And the universe will find a way to give back.’

 

Soon the time came

For the leaves to turn golden

And drift to the ground.

One evening

I was raking the leaves

Into a pile

And wondering why they fall

And I realized something:

‘The tree sheds it leaves

Because it doesn’t need them

For the winter.

Supporting them would be a waste

Of precious energy

That it will need for the next season

When the sun doesn’t come out often.

Don’t waste your energy