Christine Phillips | + Follow Poet |
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The Tree That Kept Me Alive

See it standing there elongated and bright
See it standing there thinking about me all night
It is shooting up in the air with no limit to bear
It’s standing tall and strong with something for everyone.

It’s only a tree but it keeps searching for me
It’s only a tree but it keeps looking out for me
It’s only a tree but it was planted specially for me.

This tree is nourishing, 
This tree is calculating
This tree is in touch with my utmost feelings

This tree is forgiving,
This tree is healing
This tree knows my name
This tree knows my pain,
This tree knows my shame.
And this tree knows my gain.

It often corrects my mistakes
And when the days are hot 
It provides an outlet and a cooling spot

Everyone runs to this tree when they are worry
They come to this tree when they run out of money
They come to this tree when they are hungry

This tree is strong, this tree is bold
This tree has a special magic that nourishes my soul
It never stops bearing fruits, and it always tells the truth

Everyone is amazed at this tree
 And its unique sensitivity
It is cool, it plays by the rule 
And it is smarter than any old school

This tree is revealing
 And it has a special feeling
The rain come and wet it, 
The sun come and burn it
And in the evening when the night is dry
This tree looks at me with a passion  radiating from the sky
 
I often stand on top of the chair and look 
At its yellow fruit shooting up in the air, 
And all the school children began to draw near
And when I pick the fruits
 I can feel its strengths in the root.

The school children often crowd around me
And everyone starts to beg me 
They stare at me and keep saying
“Me want one”, and then they all start
Speaking together, “teacher me want one”

And then a brazen little girl
 with a soft spoken voice 
stands in front of me
And speak above the screaming crowd,
She stretched out her and said,
“Please teacher, me want one”

I took the biggest fruit and gave it to her
Because of the courage that she shows
The she jumped up teased the others 
Yuh naah get none” she shouts
 And quickly disburse from the crowd

This tree has a special touch that draw people to it
All the children start speaking at the same time
And everyone kept saying, “This is mine”
 I don’t know which one to give 
So when a fruit falls to the ground, 
A child picks it up, and said, “is my own this!”

The children always come and asked me for more
 And when I give them one, they want another one
They often run out of the classroom 
And the crowd gathers under the tree 
Forcing me to drop the stick and flee

This tree has made history 
For eight long months, it has been feeding me, 
For eight long months it has been taking care of me 
For eight long months it has made me happy

It stands in the front with limb hard and strong
And its ripe succulent fruits pouring out its love.
Yes it is the guava tree that kept me alive
And today I salute it with all my pride.

Copyright © Christine Phillips | Year Posted 2020

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