Roots

Here I stand- Tall. Strong. Steady.

Stretching towards those Cumulus, effortlessly.

This exposed skeleton, hidden beneath an impressive display of greens and reds. These leaves, an ecosystem of their own, nurturing others. The thick bark preventing any intrusion of what I hold dear to me inside; a barrier which has taken many years to create.

No vulnerability here, just strength.

But high winds will inevitability come and I will need to learn to be flexible.

I want to stand tall, strong and steady but once they come- I must bend.

I must dance in the wind as it tears through my being, whistling furiously and whipping my branches. Parts of me will snap and fall.

Beneath me, my roots will be tugged from the earth in which they have been concealed. Generations of my family will pull back against the winds; they planted this, which was once a mere seed and in doing so, planted pieces of themselves. Resilience, Stubbornness and Determination are as integral to my being as Photosynthesis.

And just when it seems that all I know will be uprooted and ruined… the winds will pass.

Those pieces that fell will nurture new life where they landed. An opportunity for re-growth. For transformation.

And there I will be standing once more; Tall. Strong. Steady. Never dreading the next storm, but relishing feeling alive.