The Indifference of Trees

The Indifference of Trees

 

When I was very young, I was abducted by a tree

And held against my will -Forever.

 

Oh, then my darkest fears

Became my best ambitions!

 

But all my many noble endeavors are

The ingenious offspring of early childhood traumas

When those things happened, I could express only outrage

And inexplicable feelings of supernatural betrayal

 

But I learned to parse my response with sophistication

And the weight of universally approved denial,

And that allowed me to comfortably skirt

The reality of what I am and where I am �"

 

In my intercourse with others, to be sure!

But even more devoutly in my inner dialogue.

 

Every horrifying event I experienced as a child

Involved a lesson in how the physical world

Is indifferent to my uninvited existence

 

I learned that trees do not care about

The plight of a darling little boy,

And that every physical object

Is a threat to his well-being

 

Therefore, I have sought career achievement,

Agitated for reform, and dutifully written poetry.

 

These activities distract me from revisiting too often

Or at least too deeply, the indifference of trees.