Sunday, June 2, 2019

Weeping Willow - Views


Willow

My roots are planted firmly in the earth near living water.  Appearing  to be limber
and carefree swaying in a gentle breeze.  My long slender green boughs offer shelter
on a warm days.   Geese and ducklings often keep me company, slumbering at my feet. 
I am the gatekeeper to an enchanted world. The blue heron comes to visit me on
moonlit nights creating magic while humans sleep.

I met a poet, dreamer and drummer. She cried at my feet asking creator for peace. 
My heart grieved to see her cry.  She stood on my uprooted foot and closed her eyes.
 Eavesdropping, I  heard her voice,  "teach me balance", she said.  I watched, as she
closed  her eyes, stretching her arms outward.  Suddenly, a gust of wind, a test of will.
 I watched her sway on unsteady feet. I felt her uneasiness, as she struggled to stand tall,
wobbling with the wind but,  she did not fall.  She is learning flexibility and balance.

Some days, people sit under me to cast their fishing poles in the shimmering waters, hoping to
hook a big mouth bass or a passing sunfish. The lake has now been declared a catch and release
place only. The community hopes to save the ecosystem for future generations to enjoy.

 I have survived many challenges throughout the years and cried a million  tears.
Resilience and balance are the keys to living a long life. My spirit is strong and unbreakable.
 My motto,  "Be flexible and you will never get bent out of shape"

Remember me, I am The Weeping Willow. I cry for the world and her people. In hopes
that change will not break their spirits but, strengthen their resolve to survive.

written for  Poets United - Telling Tales  
Writing prose from the perspective of a tree
hosted by Magaly.

Thank you for reading!

18 comments:

  1. "I am the gatekeeper to an enchanted world." Yes, you are. I love that the weeping willow sheds our tears. I share her hope that we can figure out how to survive on this planet SOON.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Happy Sunday Trudessa.
    "Be flexible and you will never get bent out of shape"
    What a lovely statement of resilence

    Much🌳🖤🌴🖤🌲love

    ReplyDelete
  3. Trees are the best at teaching us lessons through their living dance. Bending helps us grow flexible and strong, gives us the space and time to get up after the fall (or tears).

    I don’t think I’d ever forget your dance.

    ReplyDelete
  4. You bring willow alive in her interactions with her guests. By the time the tree admits she cries for the world, I cared very much for her point of view "Be flexible"--welcome change.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Sure captured the willow indeed as watching yet standing strong. Flexibility sure helps one to keep on keeping on too.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Like Sherry, the line:'I am the gatekeeper to an enchanted world' resonated with me ... and actually, I found it to be a very layered line. The health of flora is often the first indicator that the health of an entire ecosystem is in jeopardy. Trees are much like the kings of flora and can teach us a great deal, if only we would heed their message. Wonderful 'take' on the prompt, Truedessa.

    ReplyDelete
  7. There used to be a glorious weeping willow in my neighborhood, and I loved watching it on windy days, hoping like the poet-dreamer-drummer for lessons in balance and flexibility. I miss my old friend, as it was cut down by my home owners association for reasons known only to them. But I still remember it fondly.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I dearly love weeping willows! (I grew up with two, although they are not native to Australia.) I love all the lessons this one in your story is able to impart to humans.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Weeping Willow's surroundings do reveal an enchanted world unknown to the greedy humans. The tree has 'a poet, dreamer and drummer' as its neighbor who could feel its heart-beat. Hope a time comes when there will be such strong bonds between trees and humanity, like the distant past. Beautiful.

    ReplyDelete
  10. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  11. I am sure trees and plants, animals and fish are aware of climate change and one can see the sad look in our pet dog's eye and all we say is, "It is not quite dinnertime yet Fido"...missing the point entirely!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Hi Truedessa - willows and saplings are 'gatekeepers to an enchanted world' - wonderful lines you've sketched out for us to take our minds into the life of earth. Delightful - cheers Hilary

    ReplyDelete
  13. This was an honest and wondergully positive poem if hope. I liked it True!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Enchanting and moving. I love watching weeping willows and this will echo next time I do. :)

    ReplyDelete
  15. Be flexible... I think trees can be excellent teachers. I wonder if you were the drummer maybe.

    ReplyDelete
  16. thank you weeping willow , the cruel world needs more like you to calm the troubled souls well written

    ReplyDelete
  17. I have always loved weeping willows. This is a beautiful story. I can see hear, and feel throughout it.

    ReplyDelete