When I was just a kid

I would climb the pine tree in the front yard

There was a place

Where three branches came together

Two and a half stories high

I would slide my body

Into the branches embrace

And sway with the wind

Rocking me to calm

Like a grandmother

So non-judgemental

Always there taking a beating

As winters came and went

Branches broke below

I don’t know why this tree

Likely because it’s branch grew over

The roof outside their bedroom window

What a thing to do

So exhilarating to climb out their window

Shimmy down the roof

To hop onto the branch

And up and away I would climb

To my throne of imagination

I would close my eyes to see

What it felt like to sway and listen

I wish I could go back there

But the tree is no longer there

It is no longer my families home

And decades have come and gone

But I can still close my eyes

And feel the swaying

The slow rhythmical backward and forward

Side to side movement

Like a rocking chair, only better

I guess my love of trees came from an acting class

Mom put me in an acting class as a little kid

The teacher said to stand up

Close your eyes

And pretend you are a tree

I stood there with my arms outstretched

Swaying ever so gently

I imagined what a tree felt like

Did it think about the birds

The squirrels and raccoons

Who lived in its branches

I got so lost in thought

I forgot I was in a room

Filled with other kids

Finally I opened my eyes

And I was the only one still standing

How long had I swayed

Standing there being a tree

The giggles of the other children

Assured me I was weird

But the lesson of becoming a tree

Has never left me

They have been my constant friends

From then till now

So majestic, so embracing

So defiant of the storms

As they stand there

And hold up under

The weight of weather

The freezing cold

The snow, the ice

The wind, the rain

They stand tall

Until their time has come

The wisdom gained

From friendship with a tree

Is well worth the climb

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The Sarah Hale Folger Project seeks to inspire greatness in humanity by sharing inspiring stories with the world. Please contact me here on my blog or through my website at http://www.TheArtUniverse.com

Sarah Hale Folger is a Creative Consultant, Artist, Singer and Educator. PLEASE make sure to subscribe to my blog today so you never miss the next thing happening in the world the way I see it! Please feel free to comment, share and please, subscribe to my blog. Thanks You.