As I Grow

"Solitary trees, if they grow at all, grow strong."

                                                -Winston Churchill

I start out so delicate,

Like a seedling trying to take root.

I need sunlight and water,

As I slowly start to grow.

Given time, I get stronger,

I reach up towards the heavens.

I dream of great things,

Impossible dreams for something so small,

Nevertheless, I believe it all.

How can something so pure be tainted?

Such a fragile state of mind,

Anything tragic is forever stained in my memory.

I am strong and I push through.

Farther along now and I am halfway grown,

Being the prettiest tree and having other trees around you is important.

I try to fit in but it is so difficult.

Pleasing everyone is exhausting.

I feel stunted,

My personality has shriveled up under the pressure.

Struggling through the wind and weather,

I carry on through the growth process.

I wake up when the sun rises,

Go through the motions of the day,

Then go to sleep when the moon comes out.

Day after day,

Week after week,

I slowly become my own tree.

I stand against the beating of the elements.

My roots have dug deep into the earth.

My outer appearance is gnarled,

Trials have taken their toll.

I am still young and have a long way to go.

I look up to the older trees,

They show me a future I can have.

Growing that tall seems like an incredible adventure.

The expectations for me are overwhelming.

How did they do it?

I feel my roots giving away,

Being ripped from the earth I know.

I have not given up,

I am willingly giving up all that I know,

I am being moved,

To a new and exciting place.