I found my solace
My shelter, my escape
Under a giant willow tree
With its branches as my drapes
It loomed over me
And my ten-year-old frame
One day I hoped
I'd measure the very same
I climbed to the highest branch,
Enthralled by the view
I wondered what would change
If only I grew
I soared to the sky
On my grubby tire swing
I stood on my tippy-toes
Listening to the birds sing
Every evening before I left
I stood against the bark
I measured where I stood
And left behind my mark
Years flew by
My routine never changed
Horizontal lines
I patiently engraved
I wished I could grow older
And view the world from above
Never did I imagine-
It was only the dream that I'd love
Ten years down the line
My wish had come true
I'd grown older, taller, wiser-
Just as I'd wanted to
And where my weary willow tree
Had loomed over me-
There stood a sliced stump;
I was taller, finally.
~Via