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To The Trees at Thousand Hills State Park~ By Haley Ericksen

6/6/2019

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These trees look like asparagus, tall and skinny, raising their branches straight into the sky, the whole trunk swaying in the wind as if losing their balance. The weaker trees knock into others, using each other to stay upright.

It must be hard to stay so straight all the time. There is no break, no rest, a linear life. Only up, rarely out. No wonder so many of them have fallen over. It is an incredible amount of pressure. If hunched over for too long, a sizable crack will appear up the trunk, and will lead the tree right to its downfall.

Does a tree make a noise when it falls in the forest when there is no one around to hear it? No, the tree falls silently, despairingly, it is the universe that that shouts when the tree can’t go on any longer. Angry. Disappointed. The fallen trees are left to rot and be an example for those still standing. This is what happens when one can’t conform, when one can’t handle the pressure. 

Some trees stand silently, others creak and cry in the wind. There is a mutual understanding among the trees. They know it is only a matter of time. Someone must fall next.

As the wind halts, so do they, holding on for tomorrow. I bid them good luck as I go.


Author Bio:
Haley Ericksen (she/her) is an English Major at Truman State University, who hopes to teach high school English in the future. In her free time, she enjoys writing poetry, prose and to-do lists. Haley finds that in writing, she can come to terms with events in the world around her, which has provided clarity in many areas of her life. Her writing is greatly influenced by personal events and challenges, as well as the Earth and humanity as a whole. Haley is an INFJ, a Hufflepuff, and an avid stationary enthusiast. She calls Kansas City, Missouri her home.
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