As I stand here,

The world speeds by,

Many leaves are budded, blown away, and borrowed,

The seasons drift along,

While everything gets just a little smaller.

Soon,

The time will come,

When I can peer over these human constructs,

And stare far beyond the horizon.

I woke on the wind

spiraled down

from the crown

of my mother

my brothers drifted

far apart and

my heart plunged

into the soil

and I toiled

smothered by the

arms of others

bowed by the boughs

that hovered to

block my sun

gales ripped roots

from the ground

and I found purchase

in the corpses

of dead contenders

I surrendered

to no element

fought the sky

for my relevance

I run deep and high

a tower in the

canopy

my place earned by

calamity

I am weathered

and tethered

and bountiful

and beautiful.

Screech, buzz, thump

No, this time it wasn't a dizzy myna or bumble bee

It sounded more unnatural, out of place

The gentle breeze that halted quite agreed

Perhaps this is what they call machinery

Caw,Caw,Caw, the raven perched upon my branch

Flew in haste, fear chased her away

As did the rest of her family

The deafening sounds refused to cease

THUD

I looked down, and saw dad dead at my feet

I felt as if all my leaves had withered

All at once

Without the ritual of fall, to ease the pain

I felt as if the Sun

Could never shine bright enough

To help my leaves resurface again

All the water from the heavens above

Wouldn't help my roots suck their bounty

I'd only be parched forever

Rooted to the mud for all of eternity

But at that moment, it felt alien

As though all those years before,

When the wind didn't feel as heavy as it does now

When squirrels jumped from my bark to dad's

When birds' sweet melodies never sounded this melancholy

As though all those years before,

I had moved

And now I've forgotten how to

My bright green leaves were out of place

They ought to have turned dull brown, blackened by now

By the way my entire body felt

One drifted down, to meet the bark

Lifeless together

A dead part of mine

Upon the dead entirety of his

Silver shone in the light

Abrasive screeches rang in the sultry air

Sultry, for all around me

Every being I ever knew

Lay like my father, corpses piled atop one another

The deadly noise reached it's hiatus

As I watched these humans come for me

To think that I nurtured their lives

Gave them air to suck mine out

To think that I survived off of their tainted refuse

Left me in a haze, as the noise pierced through

I bid adieu to the sun and moon

My insides burned, pain erupted from within

As if.......

I was being halved

THUMP

The last sound I heard, was mine

they always whisper

under my arms

how they wish they could flee

away from all harms

i've always wondered

why didn't they go

i'm the one with roots

trapped and hanging low

but soon i learned

humans have roots too

so much stronger than mine

they call it "love"

sometimes "family"

and those roots keep them so tight

i might leave

and they'll stay behind

The wind whistled through the almost-bare branches of a young tree. The tree was small and slender, a few leaves studding its skinny whitish branches. The leaves were a brilliant, glowing gold, the shine emphasized by the soft, warm streak of sunlight peeking through branches of other trees. The sun shifted and the beam of light struck directly, and only, on one perfect, glowing golden leaf, illuminating the beautiful, mysterious, dark forest. The golden tree bathed in the warmth as the light returned to the whole of it, rejoicing that it was young and new. It had been untouched for its whole life and would remain untouched until death. All other trees formed a wide circle around that golden sapling, standing by itself on the banks of a swift, silent silver river.

Suddenly, a soft breeze rustled. A single glowing leaf fell slowly from the beautiful sapling.

Time stopped.

The golden tree saw everything.

The leaf suspended in midair.

The shimmering silver stream, ready to receive it.

Then time began again.

The leaf touched the river.

Gold met silver.

Once again, the shining rays of the dying sun set upon the leaf as it slowly drifted downriver, silently sinking into the depths of the silver stream.

_____________________________________________________________

A writing piece I wrote in fifth grade that was perfect for this challenge!

It's a romanticized version of some nonfiction personal experiences while hiking in New York.

:3

Lightning

I sway in the wind, listening as my auburn, gold, and orange leaves rustle in time to the breeze. The sunlight sparkles on the dew that rests on the blades of grass at my roots. Life has been content for the centuries that I have lived, peace and joy among all the creatures and plants that coexist here.

The temperature suddenly drops a few degrees as a grey cloud passes over the sun. At the same time, a warning resounds from every corner of the forest. "Danger! Danger!"a robin trills. The rabbits hop towards cover, mice scurry into their holes, and the birds take off and soar far away. Yet my fellow trees and I are unable to flee. I am not worried for myself, though. I have withstood centuries of storms, pests, and deer. It is the younger ones I fear for.

Then the first silent scream echoes from a mile away. A distant crash that thunders louder than thunder follows. Instantly, fear and anger spreads through the trees and we swish our branches in mourning for the young sapling that perished.

This goes on for days and days. Time stretches to weeks, then months, until, finally, my little clearing and some of my closest friends are all that are left. All the others have been killed by animals called "humans". I hold only hatred for them.

One approaches me holding a long, whirring piece of material. Although we did not know what it was, we knew it had been used to murder thousands of trees. It shouts at its fellows and they surround me and my friends.

At first, there is only a gentle, tickling sensation as the material saws away at my bark. Then the pain escalates until I am silently screaming in harmony with the others. Showering leaves and twigs on them in fury doesn't help at all, but I try this futile expression of rage anyway.

They reach my heartwood, and I feel my hold on life, sanity slipping. I hear thuds as the rest give up and fall, collapsing to the ground with the last dying echoes of my soul. As they reach the other side of my bark, I look at the unforgiving sun and whisper silently, "Why would they do this?!"

My long limbs continue to grow in grace and beauty as Humans threaten to break my elegant trunk and leaves. My bark may seem cold and worthless, but my fragile figure needs a protection layer. I am calm and relaxed. My hum and voice only follows through to those who listen to me. I am a tree, I will be the future.

tender bark touchers,

tromp past and

introspectively investigate,

all the highest branches.

they lean on,then go by,

others stand around,

still like trees considering silent,

their surroundings...

these ones are made like me.

the Trees

Seem

to Speak

To me

as I

Descend

Deep

With In

Their

Depths

Of Steel

&

Flame

&

the

Forests

Distress

At the

Encroachment

Of Man

&

the

Lofty

Lords

Who Have

Died

By Our

Hand

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