The Oak Tree by Joyce Peters

How I wish I were an oak tree

 So strong, so great

 What some people walk by

And others speculate

I would start off so small

But not end up too tall

So I can watch the activities of all

Oh how simple life would be

Then change comes unexpectedly

My roots too deep to conform

So I watch her perform

She makes all reform

Everything so different from the norm

Before I know it, it all flies by

The only thing I recognise is the sky

I realise no one cares if I live or if I die

My leaves flutter to the ground as I cry

Oh my

My roots feel more like anchors

I beg them to set me free

But there was no answer to my plea

Stuck In the clasp of stagnation

A sheer moment of desperation

Made me renew my connection

With an old friend, Change

Basking in the fact that she was needed

By the only one who resisted

I knew the way I'll be treated

Will indeed be twisted

Then all of a sudden

There was searing pain

My leaves shuddered in excruciation

There it was again, again and again

It went deep, deep and deeper

Every strike makes me weaker

Then I hear the word 'timber'

I find myself on the ground

Drifting to a sleep which was quite profound

Change, who was bent on revenge

Had finally made my end

The end of the oak tree
So strong, so great

Didn't have a clue there was such a tragic fate

To think about it

This isn't the way i'd like to end my days

T'is the way I'd rather be

Now I can happily say

Oh how glad I am that I'm not an oak tree

Joyce Peters