Still standing

She stands strong,

Ancient, breathing,

flowering,

as she does each year,

has done for years

and years

and years.

The space around her,

this massive tree

feels sacred.

She is a sacred tree to me.

I sit there often

and wonder

how many people sat here,

before me,

with her — whom I named

the grandmother tree,

as she feels a grandmother to me…

a grandmother I never had,

for they had passed

before I was born.

And then I met her,

here on this land

I take care of.

Cars have been dumped

on the ground beneath her,

a large area covered

by her gigantic canopy.

Why here?

I have asked myself so many times.

I imagine she has asked

that question too.

And yet she is still standing —

growing, flowering,

year after year,

doing what she has always done.

And today, she inspires me

to keep standing

amid the turmoil I feel,

the questions I carry,

to keep going,

growing,

and blossoming again

when the time is right.