Where The Trees

Bear Witness~~~

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I walk beneath the canopy where white oaks, white pines, And sugar maples bear silent witness to my arrival.

I come to their home heavily burdened, My shoulders bent beneath the growing inequities Of the world… injustices that seem to gather strength With each passing day.

I have watched spirits trampled into the dust, The powerful wrapped in robes of privilege, Their compassion sacrificed upon the altar Of ambition, while those living in poverty Are asked to carry yet another burden.

Truth itself is muffled beneath carefully chosen words, Until only the voices that praise authority Are permitted to echo.

One by one, the liberties once taken for granted grow dim, And with them, so too does my spirit.

So I come here.

The forest asks no questions. It demands no allegiance. It simply welcomes me as another weary traveler.

The great white oaks stand like ancient guardians, Their weathered trunks bearing scars of decades. They have endured lightning, drought, ice, And unrelenting winds.

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Without speaking, they remind me that strength Is measured not by never falling, But by continuing to stand.

The white pines lift their whispering branches Into the warm breath of summer. They sway with every passing breeze.

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They teach me that wisdom is found in yielding, That what bends often survives what refuses.

The sugar maple, broad of trunk And reaching toward heaven, Offers yet another lesson.

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Remain rooted.

Stretch always toward the light, But never forget the ground from which You came, nor the principles that Feed your soul.

When at last I reluctantly leave their company, The world has not changed.

The hungry are still hungry. The powerful still take more than their share. The voices of truth still struggle To be heard.

But something within me has quieted.

I understand now that I was never meant To carry the weight of every injustice.

That burden belongs to no single person.

What I can carry is my own conscience.

What I can choose is how deeply The darkness will be to enter my heart.

Maybe that is the answer I came searching for.

Thank you, my friends… For your shelter, your wisdom, your patient companionship, And for reminding me that even in troubled times, There are still places where truth stands As tall as the trees.

Photo by Ioana Trandafir on Unsplash