Work Text:
“Tale of the Trees”
I once heard a song about a stone and a tree.
The stone - a support the tree could always lean on.
But then the stone left, chasing the promise of 'free',
Forgetting the one their feelings rested upon.
And when they came back, haunted by what they lost,
The tree was waiting, ready to say her last goodbye.
And so the stone saw how much their decision had cost,
And for remembered and broken tree, let out a cry.
I think about it sometimes, since you called me your rock once.
But I don't think that any of us is made out of stone.
I'm not something that can just roll away. Not up for stunts.
You're a tree, and so am I. Each of us - tall and strong, and grown.
Some days, I'll stand proudly, catching the light of day,
The others, I'll threaten to break under pressure,
Struggling with the thunderstorm, thunder having the final say,
Just like you, holding up and bending, calculating the measure.
But, just as it happens with the trees in nature,
The stronger the roots, the harder it is to break.
And mine are deep underground, spread in labour,
Stretching out to yours, permanent; tangling like a snake
With your own roots. I can feel them, can feel you with me.
There is no 'rock' that would take all the weight, my dear.
It's just Us, tethering each other in place, like it was meant to be;
Holding on when the storm raging above our heads gets severe,
Facing another day - Together.