The Roots of a Tree ~ Poems by an alumnus of Bingham Academy, Ethiopia

The roots of the tree are sticking up. It reminds me of bonds.....perhaps how the tree has fallen with the roots being ripped out of the ground is how it is like with the bonds that got disrupted time and again when saying 'bye' to parents.

How many times can a tree be replanted before it quits growing the roots out?

How do we think it is any the less with attachments and people?

Severed bonds, ruptured bonds come crashing down

The noise

The commotion.

A monumentous event for the tree

Something was weak,

And it came toppling over.

Crashing,

Snapping,

Catching things in its way

As it comes

Thundering down.

Inside is crashing

Thundering around

Something is wrong

Something is desperately wrong

The network of roots is showing, uprooted.

The roots are not meant to be showing and uprooted

Something is wrong.

No longer does it thunder

No longer does it crash

No longer is there the snapping noise

As the tree is uprooted.

It simply falls,

Silently.

Drawing all the thunder

Into itself.....

I stopped crying.

Not because there were no tears.

I stopped crying....

They told me to stop making noise

To stop the crashing

To stop the thunder

To stop the snapping noises as my tree went down

I stopped crying....

Not because there were no tears.

And I went to sleep....deep sleep where no one can wake me.

If I am woken

I will be as the tree

Thundering to the ground

Crashing as it goes

Snapping

Booom!

When I awake,

it will hurt-

like a torrent

crashing down the mountain side

thundering

proclaiming the awfulness of the soul

severed

torn

uprooted

I stopped crying,

Not because there were no tears.

And I sleep.

Marion Entz Harris

Spring 2002

Marion grew up in Ethiopia attending Bingham Academy.

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