THE WILLOW WEPT

Good morning

I'm out of time today, so I offer you this poem, which was inspired by Mel. 

At a 24 hour charity stream (and yes, we all stayed up for the full 24 hours), called Creators United, I was privileged to add to the incredible pool of young online creators. 

My offering was to write a personal poem for anyone who provided me with up to four words. I think that I wrote in excess of 60 poems that night, including one written while another creator and I were being interviewed live at 2 am. What an interesting experience.  

Words by Mel:

• Mom
• Power
• Inspire
• Willow tree

THE WILLOW WEPT

In the garden of our family home
Stood an ancient, gnarled old willow tree
We didn't have a garden gnome
We shared nature with the ladybug and bee

Manicures (and pedis) were for us and not the lawn
Our garden was for growth as well as our playground
Where food was grown and logs were sawn
A haven around which our childhood wound

That tree stood by me through many loves
A magnificent giant, scarred with many a carved heart
It wept with me in the desolation I wove
To guide me through my sighs and gulping tears

It bore silent witness each afternoon as the sun dipped to its rest
When a window in the house reflected a bright white gleam
That shone on its trunk and each bird's nest
Light that changed each leaf to a shimmering lime green

In those moments I often saw my mother watching me
Sometimes with a gentle smile, at others with her lips drawn in pain
There is no power to which a mother is privy
That will be of any help to a young lovelorn teen

My Mom knew as only she could have known
The courage I’d need to become who I am today
Her strength inspired me to have a mind of my own
Her innate power still takes my breath away

What's instructive for all who wish to experience life's thrill
Is that it's a complex jungle to be conquered on our own
As the willow wept with me and yet stands upright still
Our lifepath is a path to growth that is ours alone