15 September 2012
#nature #tree @iPikachu Not a poem or song, but people avoided songs after the third or so round and there was no preset genre... So here.
I was sixteen; the tree was my getaway, where I could climb as high as I wanted and keep my heads in the clouds for as long as I wanted. I never remembered what kind of tree it was, no matter how many times my mom or dad told me its name. The tree was where I met him. He was where I usually was. All I got was that he was Darenn and I told him my name. As I jumped off I think he said, "Bye, Christie." I didn't see him until a few months later, the day after my seventeenth birthday. I was upset because my boyfriend Ron had just broken up with me. I was crying when he came out and saw me. He listened, he was a good listener. And when I was done he wiped my tears and said, "If you ever need me, I'm here." Christmas soon rolled around, and I was outside in the usual neighborhood snowball fight. Wreaths, garland, and mistletoe were all over. A few boys had built a large fort near the tree and I dove in. They screamed and ran out, they must've thought I was on the other team. Darenn jumped in after me, peering over the edge. "Is it safe in here?" he grinned. I nodded and he leaned over. Whispering in my ear, he continued. "Look up." I did so and saw mistletoe, someone had nailed it to the tree. He pulled my chin down and planted a soft kiss. "Merry Christmas." and with that, he left. The summer we graduated from college, he asked me to be his wife in that tree. I happily accepted, and we were married three months later. When I was 67, I devolved arthritis. I wasn't going to be able to do too many things I loved, like playing with my six grand kids or taking walks with Darenn. So later, Darenn and I went to the tree one last time. I slowly grabbed the branch and hauled myself up, when the inevitable happened. The branch broke and my frail body plummeted down and hit the ground with a thud. Two weeks later. It's our forty year anniversary, and we have to spend it in the hospital. Darenn reaches over and grabs my hand. "I love you." I smile and reply, "I love you too." I squeezed his hand as I heard a monotone beep as the world slipped away from me.
The Tree • Opuss № I