| THE TREE AND ME AT 43 Life was sweet and full of promise So much was offered, my dreams to be fulfilled Then came the wind, the storm of life They told me this is midlife A midlife crisis I refused to have I’d been through enough and this was my time My time for me To let go of responsibility, to spread my wings and be free But that wind did blow it shook my tree Stripped the leaves, the old thin twigs so brittle They snapped and blew with gust abound Nothing even hit the ground Windswept far and wide not to land within my sight The trunk did sway, the roots did stir The tree began to leave the ground Roots uplifting, exposed with fright The fear of falling, being wrenched by the storm Stripped to my very core But I hung on tight with the remaining roots Not sure of how I would survive Whether the tree would die or revive The tree now bare and all exposed Was fragile, innocent and insecure Had no idea of what was real What was truth, what life held in store? Confused now many roots were gone Would the old be revived or was it time for new to abide But what roots could grow with such destruction Knowing not if this tree was beyond its time Was it time for the tree to be cut Or did it need support and nourishment from the groundkeeper Help that the tree had never found Looking for peace within the dream maker So many dreams the storm did take Banished them to a distant place Anxiety and stress did prevail The only place to be secure Was in the eye of the storm The centre of the tree was strong Maybe leaning and out of shape But all the same it was the core The central place where the sap was stored The sap was weak and needing to rest To regain its life force to heal the tree Moving slowly and taking time To pay attention to each hurt and tear This last year has moved so fast The storm battering in all its ways Has taken the toll of the tree that remains The tree is dead in so many ways Not to be restored – to have the dead branches cut away To be trimmed back to the bare essential So new growth can begin In new directions that would not have been able Had not the storm done its deed Nurture the spirit that remains Grieve the death of that which has gone Say goodbye with a detached hooray As these branches had weighed so much Carrying a burden that required too much The tree is free of the lamented sadness Ready for peace and stillness The stillness that comes after the storm That brings new beginnings And wonder and grace At the beauty of that which remains The thankfulness for what we have And the natural resources and strengths we gained Dawn Freer © 2003-2004 Sun in Leo, Moon in Aries, Leo Rising Visit Dawn's Pages :-) Image "Tree Thoughts" by Robynne Black © 2003-2004 Site Index |