A tree split by a telephone pole,

I pass each day on my journey home from school. 

Each season goes by, 

Leaves change color and fall.

The wind thrashes and the rain pours,

And yet each day the tree continues to grow. 

Wires twist and wrap around its branches, 

Currents flow beneath its trunk. 

Cars zip past its spot in the ground,

It trembles as their wheels turn. 

The wires choke and the vehicles race,

And yet each day the tree continues to grow. 

The tree’s friends and relatives no longer stand,

In their place a bright, shiny storage unit. 

Lonely, the tree remains unsure of its future, 

But it’s okay because the first month of storage is free. 

Other trees are lost and human destruction prevails,

And yet each day the tree continues to grow. 

The cold winter months creep into my bloodstream,

Hours of light are rare as can be. 

Deadline after deadline after deadline,

I’m drowning in the sea of anxiety. 

Brightness and future seems out of reach,

And yet each day, like the tree, I continue to grow.