What do you do when you’re sad?
I stand tall.
I become like a tree:
Unmovable, unbreakable
Grounded by the roots of my ancestors
Their strength builds me up and propels me forward
I wear my emotions on the inside
Presenting a figure of strength
Emulating my mother’s benevolence
My grandmother’s bravery
My ancestors remind me of my roots,
Which whisper their stories
Rooted in parched and desolate terrain
With no source for water, they sprouted from their tears
Rising upward with the hope that I would one day grow lush and green
When harsh winds rip the leaves from my branches
And my flowers start to wilt
I feel their loving hands tend my broken garden
Even in fertile soil a tree can break
When my hurt is not released, when my pain is concealed
My leaves become speckled with disease, my bark starts to rot
Lush and green no more, fertile soil means nothing
If we only come to know resilience
All we hide within our hearts becomes too much for our branches to bear
They break as we desperately try to hold ourselves together
To keep ourselves rooted in strength
But for my ancestors, what more did they feel?
Was there space for their tears?
For their love?
Is there space for my fear?
For my hope?
For our twisted branches?
I wonder if they too longed for a space to cry
To make mistakes
To reveal bruises and healing scars
Can you look within the lush green garden?
See my blooming flowers,
And my bloody wounds
See those strong roots,
And accept that I still feel like a sapling,
New to this world
What do you do when you are sad?
Know, you can come to my garden
Here, you can just be
While I rest my head on your brave shoulder
Put your gentle hands on my beating heart
See the pain and wisdom in my mind
As I see the joy and peace in your soul
Let me hold you when you fall
This act of love won’t rip us out our soil
Nothing can
Hold me up and let me break down
Know that falling tears don’t mean weakness
They nourish our soul to help our garden grow
Feel.
It doesn’t scare me
