The Tree of Then and Now

THEN

Cupped palms

They hold a seed

One seed

It will change things

Not now

Not for a long time

Someday

Though

It will be the reason

That a girl

Survives

NOW

The tree

In the park

Is sacred

It’s special to everyone

For

A reason

Or

Another

Special to me

Because

It’s how I survived

THEN

Don’t ask

How I know

I just do

My fingernails

Are lined with dirt

After I dig the hole

I hope I’m doing this right

The tree is important

NOW

Maybe

Saying that the tree

Saved me

Is dramatic

Did it really?

Maybe

It was just

Right place

Right time

Could be luck

Who knows?

THEN

I’ve never planted anything

Except for bean plants

Science class

In fifth grade

Now,

I drop the seed

Into the hole

And cover it back up

With soil

I press down

With both hands

Trying to send energy

From me

To the tree

To her

NOW

I’m getting there

It’s a long story

When I start talking,

Telling the story,

So does Mama’s voice

‘What were you thinking?

Pouring rain

And

Outdoors

Don’t mix well.’

In my head,

Her voice the whole time

Drips with anger

And love

At the same time

And my heart burns

Because I know

How close she was

To losing me.

THEN

Unscrew the cap

On my plastic waterbottle

Ironic,

I know,

I promise that it’s reused

(so much that it’s almost

Getting holes

Where it’s been crinkled

Too much)

I drizzle water all over

The dirt

Stain it a dark brown

And finally stop pouring

This better go well

NOW

Lighting

Thunder

Crash into

My head

As I remember

The night.

School got out

Early,

Because of the flooding

But home

And school

Are only two blocks

Appart

Mama and Aunt Eloisa

Wouldn’t be home yet

Anyway

I wasn’t too worried

I love the rain

Always have

And somehow,

I always will,

Even though it almost killed me.

THEN

Brush my hands

On my jeans

Stuff the waterbottle

Into my backpack

Stand up

And slowly walk out

Of the square

My thoughts

Are everywhere

Except for here

And now

NOW

So I tucked myself

Under the branches of my

Favorite

Tree in the whole park

And opened my book

Yellow raincoat

Doing more

To save it’s pages from water

Than me

Not that I minded

I didn’t take long

The river rose

And my head

Stayed buried in the book

Until

The water was way over

The bridge

I screamed

No one heard

Of course

The rain was loud

And no one

Except me

Was stupid enough

To be out

Then

No one

Except my tree

THEN

My shoes

Tap the pavement

I focus

On them

So I don’t focus

On the girl

Who only lives

In my mind

For now

Someday

She will live

Outside of my mind

And my tree

Will save her

Until then,

I’ll do my best

Not to worry

About her

NOW

cling

To the highest branches

I can get to

And hope

And wait

And thank

The girl

Who’s name

Is on the plaque

‘Planted for the future’

It says

I wonder

If I’m the future she was thinking

About

Probably

She never imagined

That her tree

Would save lives

At the bottom of the plaque

Reads

‘Plant a tree,

Do it for the next tree lover’